The top ten frauds of 2017 released: Watch out for these common scams

New York State officials have released the list of the top ten consumer fraud complaints received by the Attorney General's office in 2017.

They are:

CATEGORY AND NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS

1. Internet (internet services & service providers; data privacy & security; child safety; consumer frauds) 5,153 complaints
2. Automobile (buying; leasing; repair; service contracts; rentals) 3,188 complaints
3. Consumer-Related Services (security systems; restaurant/catering services; tech repairs) 2,463 complaints

4. Landlord/Tenant Disputes (security deposit releases; tenant harassment) 1,961 complaints
5. Utilities (wireless and residential phones; energy services & suppliers; cable and satellite) 1,827 complaints
6. Credit (debt collection; credit card billing; debt settlement; credit repair; credit reporting agencies; identity theft) 1,436 complaints
7. Retail Sales (any sale of goods for personal household use: food, clothing; rent-to-own) 1,285 complaints
8. Home Repair/Construction (home improvement services not delivered or done poorly) 982 complaints
9. Mail Order (purchases made online or from a catalog) 850 complaints
10. Mortgage (mortgage modifications; mortgage and loan broker fraud; foreclosures)

The state has also offered a list of tips all consumers should use to protect themselves and their families.

For more on these scams, and how to avoid them, click here.