ID Theft Is Consumers' No. 1 Complaint, Says Federal Trade Commission

Fewer New Yorkers are submitting complaints about identity theft, but the state still ranks No. 8 in the nation when it comes to the number of complaints on a per capita basis, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

In its latest consumer complaint report, the FTC said nearly 16,500 New Yorkers reported identity theft in 2010. That's a decrease of more than 2,400 complaints from the previous year, when the state also held the No. 8 spot. 

New Jersey ranked No. 12 on the list for a second year. Connecticut improved its rating, falling from No. 16 to No. 21.

The number of identity theft complaints dropped nationwide. But the FTC said identity theft — which it defines as using someone else's social security number, or other personal information to commit fraud — remains the top consumer complaint.

Government documents and benefits fraud remains the No. 1 category of reported identity thefts in the nation, according to the FTC. Credit card and phone or utilities fraud are also among the top identity theft complaints.

The commission said it received more than 1.3 million complaints in 2010. Nineteen percent of them were related to identity theft.