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The FTC takes in reports from consumers about problems they experience in the marketplace. The reports are stored in the Consumer Sentinel Network (Sentinel), a secure online database available only to law enforcement. While the FTC does not intervene in individual consumer disputes, its law enforcement partners – whether they are down the street, across the nation, or around the world – can use information in the database to spot trends, identify questionable business practices and targets, and enforce the law.

Since 1997, Sentinel has collected tens of millions of reports from consumers about fraud, identity theft, and other consumer protection topics. During 2017, Sentinel received nearly 2.7 million consumer reports, which the FTC has sorted into 30 top categories. The 2017 Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book (Sentinel Data Book) has a vibrant new look, and a lot more information about what consumers told us last year. You'll know more about how much money people lost in the aggregate, the median amount they paid, and what frauds were most costly. And you'll know much more about complaints of identity theft, fraud, and other types of problems in each state, too. The Sentinel Data Book is based on unverified reports filed by consumers. The data is not based on a consumer survey. Sentinel has a five-year data retention policy, with reports older than five years purged biannually.

Of the 2.7 million reports, the top three categories were debt collection, identity theft and imposter scams. Of the 1.1 million fraud reports, 21% reported a loss. There were $905 million total fraud losses with a $429 median loss.
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This year, Consumer Sentinel data is also available online in an interactive format, with updates provided quarterly. The Sentinel Data Book is based on unverified reports filed by consumers. The data is not based on a consumer survey. Sentinel has a five-year data retention policy, with reports older than five years purged biannually.

 

In addition to taking consumer reports directly from people who call the FTC’s call center or file online, Sentinel also includes complaints filed with other federal, state, local, and international law enforcement agencies, as well as other organizations, like the Council of Better Business Bureaus and Publishers Clearing House.

In 2017, the FTC was pleased to welcome the data contributions of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office. A full listing of data contributors is available in Appendix A3 and A4. Non-government organizations that contribute reports do not have access to Sentinel reports, as access is limited to law enforcement agencies.

For more information about the Consumer Sentinel Network, visit www.FTC.gov/Sentinel. Law enforcement personnel may join Sentinel at .

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