New data from the Federal Trade Commission show that Maine residents filed 7,862 consumer complaints last year.
Consumers in the state reported losing $3,294,979 to scams and fraud like imposter scams, identity theft, prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries, online shopping and negative reviews, and telephone scams. The most common type of consumer report nationwide was imposter scams, and the report says government imposter scams, specifically, were up by 50%.
The FTC says it provides refunds to consumers when possible. Maine consumers who filed FTC complaints received a total of $360,422 in refund checks last year, the Commission says.
The FTC does allow consumers to file complaints online.