Illinois Attorney General Reveals Top 10 Consumer Gripes

Lisa Madigan's office received nearly 21,800 complaints last year

Consumer debt issues and identity theft topped the list of complaints to the Illinois attorney general's office in 2014.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan released the annual top-ten list of consumer complaints on Monday. Other top complaints dealt with the telecommunications, construction, home improvement and car sales industries.

Madigan also unveiled a legislative initiative proposing to update and strengthen Illinois' data breach notification law, the Personal Information Protection Act, which was first passed in 2005. Madigan says more needs to be done to protect sensitive information in light of massive data breaches last year.

Madigan's office received nearly 21,800 complaints last year. Consumer debt was the top concern for the seventh year in a row. It included complaints related to mortgage lending, debt collection practices and payday loan companies.

The Top 10:

1. Consumer Debt -- 3,655 complaints

2. Identity Theft  -- 2,617 complaints

3. Telecommunications -- 2,162 complaints

4. Construction/Home Improvement -- 1,900 complaints

5. Motor Vehicles/Used Auto Sales -- 1,305 complaints

6. Promotions & Schemes -- 1,199 complaints

7. Mail Order -- 868 complaints

8. Fraud Against Business -- 762 complaints

9. Motor Vehicle/Non-Warranty Repair -- 608 complaints

10. Utilities -- 566 complaints

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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