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The FTC takes in reports from consumers about problems they experience in the marketplace. The reports are stored in the Consumer Sentinel Network (Sentinel), a secure online database available only to law enforcement. While the FTC does not intervene in individual consumer disputes, its law enforcement partners – whether they are down the street, across the nation, or around the world – can use information in the database to spot trends, identify questionable business practices and targets, and enforce the law.

Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2021, snapshot: Of the 5.7 million reports, the top three categories were identity theft, imposter scams, and credit bureaus, info furnishers and report users. Of the 2.8 million fraud reports, 25% reported a loss. There were $5.9 billion total fraud losses with a $500 median loss.

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Since 1997, Sentinel has collected tens of millions of consumer reports about fraud, identity theft, and other consumer protection topics. During 2021, Sentinel received over 5.7 million consumer reports, which the FTC has sorted into 29 top categories. The 2021 Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book (Sentinel Data Book) has aggregated information about what consumers told us last year on the full range of fraud, identity theft and other consumer protection topics. The Consumer Sentinel data is also available online in an interactive format at ftc.gov/exploredata, with updates provided quarterly. The Sentinel Data Book is based on unverified reports filed by consumers. The data is not based on a consumer survey. Sentinel has a five-year data retention policy, with reports older than five years purged biannually.

In addition to taking consumer reports directly from people who call the FTC’s call center or report online, Sentinel also includes reports filed with other federal, state, local, and international law enforcement agencies, as well as other organizations, like the Better Business Bureau and Publishers Clearing House.

In 2021, the FTC was pleased to welcome the data contributions of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. A full listing of data contributors is available in Appendices A3 and A4. Non-government organizations that contribute reports do not have access to Sentinel reports, as access is limited to law enforcement agencies.

Explore Data with the FTC - Find out about the top 10 frauds people report

For more information about the Consumer Sentinel Network, visit www.FTC.gov/Sentinel. Law enforcement personnel may join Sentinel at Register.ConsumerSentinel.gov.

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