[JURIST] For the fifth year in a row, identity theft topped the list of most reported frauds, the Federal Trade Commission [official site] reported Tuesday. The number of complaints about identity theft increased 15 percent from the previous year, and reprsesent about 40 percent of all complaints received by the FTC. The increased reports of identity theft seem to contradict an independent report released earlier this week by the Better Business Bureau [official site], which indicated that online identity theft had leveled off. Additionally, reports of internet auction scams have doubled since 2002. Overall, the FTC states that US consumers lost $547 million in various scams last year, with the average loss per incident at $214. MSNBC has more. The full report [PDF] is available from the FTC.