Top 10 Internet Fraud Complaints, 2007

What are the most common fraud complaints for Internet? Fake check scams top the list, while general merchandise sales are a close second. Protect yourself from becoming a victim to one of these scams by reading our guides on the "Dirty Dozen" Email Scams and the biggest "Dot Cons," or general Internet Scams. If you suspect you're a victim of an Internet fraud, visit the National Fraud Information Center.

Complaint	% of all complaints	Average Loss
Fake Check Scams	29%	$3,310.87
General merchandise	23	1,136.84
Auctions¹	13	1,371.08
Nigerian Money Offers	11	4,043.14
Lotteries/Lottery Clubs	7	998.43
Advance Fee Loans	3	1,310.77
Prizes/Sweepstakes	3	1,181.58
Phishing²	3	220.47
Friendship & Sweetheart Swindles	1	3,038.31
Internet Access Services	1	896.99

1. In the fall of 2003, online giant eBay removed the link from its Web site to fraud.org. As a result, the number of auction complaints reported to NCL's fraud center has dropped to a fraction of its previous levels.

2. Pretending to be a legitimate company to trick people into providing private information for use in identity theft.

Source: National Fraud Information Center/Internet Fraud Watch. Web:www.fraud.org.

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