Hawai‘i fraud complaints rank in top 10 nationally
Hawaii ranked tenth among all states for the number of fraud complaints per 100,000 people in 2007. There were 196 complaints per 100,000 people in Hawai‘i between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2007 – a total of 2,520 complaints, according to consumer fraud and identity theft complaint data from the Federal Trade Commission released Feb. 13.
Nationally, charitable solicitations ranked last out of 20 complaint categories, with just 1,843 out of 813,899 total complaints logged by the FTC, or less than 1 percent. The number of Hawai‘i complaints by category were:
- 341 – Shop-at-home and catalog sales
- 206 – Prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries
- 198 – Internet services
- 168 – Internet auctions
- 166 – Foreign money offers
Consumers reported paying an average of $1,450 for the 2,520 complaints – a total of more than $3.2 million.
The report also said there were 589 cases of identity theft reported in the state. Of those, 219 reported credit card fraud. Bank fraud accounted for 99 complaints; phone or utilities fraud, 76; employment-related, 37; government documents or benefits fraud, 25; loan fraud, 25; other fraud, 162; and attempted identity theft, 21.
Colorado had the most fraud complaints by state, with 11,364, or 233 per 100,000 people. Arizona had the most reported identity theft victims, with 8,688 complaints. The Dakotas had the lowest complaint rates, 30.8 complaints per thousand for South Dakota and 28.5 per thousand for North Dakota. Click here to download a copy of the complete report.
Hawai‘i tops the nation in cost of car ownership
The “True Cost to Own” study, from Edmunds.com, revealed that owning a vehicle in Hawaii costs $10,000 more than in New Hampshire over a five-year period. The study projects model-specific, regional average vehicle ownership costs including depreciation, financing, taxes, fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance and repairs.
Hawaii has the highest average five-year ownership vehicle costs, the report said. A car costs an average $59,457 in the state, or $11,891 per year. The other states with the highest average vehicle ownership costs are California, Alaska, Nevada and West Virginia.
New Hampshire has the lowest five-year vehicle ownership costs with an average of $47,499, which is $2,392 per year more than the average cost in Hawai‘i.
