Can You Guess No. 1 Consumer Complaint In lllinois In 2017?

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Identity theft topped Illinois consumer complaints in 2017, the first time that's happened in a decade, according to Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office, which released the state's annual top 10 list Monday. Last year's massive data breach at the credit reporting agency Equifax played a role in ID theft reaching No. 1, with 2,511 complaints, Madigan's office stated.

Education complaints, which dealt with student loan debt, loan counseling and for-profit schools, also saw a big jump in 2017, ranking No. 2, with 2,399 reports. Overall, the Illinois attorney general's office received 24,669 consumer complaints last year.

"Every year, my Top 10 list shows that scam artists, predatory companies and cyber criminals devise schemes to steal peoples’ money," Madigan said in a statement. "This year’s Top 10 list confirms that contending with financial challenges such as identity theft, student loans and other personal debt are the major issues confronting Illinois residents."

The attorney general office's Consumer Fraud Bureau returned more than $46 million in savings to the state last year through litigation and mediation. Since 2003, Madigan’s office has mediated nearly 400,000 formal consumer complaints.

Here's the complete top 10 list of Illinois consumer complaints for 2017:

1. Identity theft (credit cards, data breaches, utilities, government document fraud), 2,511 complaints
2. Education (student loan debt, loan counseling, for-profit schools), 2,399
3. Consumer debt (collection agencies, mortgages, banks), 2,395
4. Construction and home improvement (remodeling, roofs and gutters, heating and cooling, plumbing), 2,113
5. Telecommunications (cable and satellite TV, telemarketing, cell phones, phone service and repairs), 2,031
6. Promotions and schemes (phone scams, lottery scams, investment schemes, phishing), 2,004
7. Used auto sales (as-is used cars, financing, advertising, warranties), 1,728
8. Internet and mail-order products (internet and catalog purchases, TV and radio advertising), 1,071
9. Motor vehicle and non-warranty repair (collision, engines, oil changes and tune-ups), 656
10. New auto sales (financing, defects, advertising), 629

The Identity Theft Unit of the attorney general's office offers assistance to victims whose identity has been stolen or compromised because of a data breach. The department, which can be reached at 866-999-5630, has helped helped more than 44,000 people eliminate more than $29 million in fraudulent charges.

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