Internet Top NY Consumer Complaint

The Internet is now the most common type of consumer complaint in New York, State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer said Wednesday. The Internet passed banking and automobiles and accounted for 15 percent of all complaints received in 2005. In total, 7,723 complaints were received, up 28 percent from 2004. 6,164 credit and banking complaints were filed, down eight percent, and automobile complaints totaled 5,514, down 12 percent. Altogether, the attorney general's office processed some 51,000 complaints during the year.

The most common complaints related to some aspect of online auctions or e-commerce along with computer spyware and spam. "The Internet has become the new Main Street of our society," Spitzer said. "It has brought great benefits, but also new opportunities for the unscrupulous."