Consumer fraud happens every day across the nation. According to the Consumer Sentinel Network (CSN), there were more than 1.3 million consumer fraud and identity theft claims filed in 2010.

According to the CNS, there were 725,087 fraud-related claims reported in 2010. The total loss claimed was more than $1.7 billion. The average amount of each claim is $594.00. Sixty percent of claimants included the method of contact — 45 percent said email, 11 percent said an Internet website and 10 percent said mail.

The CNS reports that the top 10 states with the highest per capita rate of fraud claims are Colorado (21,012), Maryland (23,58), Nevada (10,757), Alaska (2,731), Florida (70,858), Arizona (23,999), Washington (24,627), Delaware (3,255), New Hampshire (4,702) and Virginia (28,368).

Some of the more common fraud-related claims involved imposter scams, debt collection, prizes, sweepstakes, lotteries, Internet services, credit cards and credit protection/repair.

Begun in 1997, the CSN is an online database that stores complaints filed with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, Better Business Bureaus, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Identity Theft Assistance Center and the National Fraud Information Center, among others.

If you feel that you’ve been treated unfairly, contact a consumer fraud lawyer for help.