Q. Which consumer complaints are the most common?

A. Of the more than 1.8 million consumer complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission in 2011, 15 percent involved identity theft, making it the top individual category.

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Debt collection was second, with 180,928 complaints—or 10 percent—followed by gripes about prizes/sweepstakes/lotteries, Shop-at-home and catalog sales, banks and lenders, Internet services, auto-related complaints, impostor scams, telephone and mobile services and advance-fee loans and credit protection/repair. Per capita, Colorado residents file the most fraud complaints; Florida generates the most about identity theft.

Sid Kirchheimer writes about health and consumer issues.

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