Wyoming residents lost nearly $2.3 million to scams and fraud in 2019, according to newly released data from the Federal Trade Commission.

The Commission issued $386,766 in refund checks to consumers across the state last year, which also saw 3,097 complaints filed by Wyoming residents.

The most common categories of complaints filed by Wyoming consumers were imposter scams, identity theft, prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries, telephone and mobile services, and online shopping and negative reviews.

"A core part of the FTC's mission is to return money to consumers who are harmed by illegal business practices," the Commission said in a statement Thursday. Over the last four years, over $1 billion in FTC refund checks have been cashed by consumers.

Nationwide in 2019, consumers reported losing over $1.9 billion to fraud, with nearly $667 million lost to imposter scams alone, the Commission said.

"While scammers target consumers using every possible method of communication, phone calls were the most common," the Commission said. The median individual loss was over $1,000.

"Reports from around the country about consumer protection issues are a key resource for FTC investigations that stop illegal activities and, when possible, provide refunds to consumers," the Commission said.

Consumer complaints can be filed online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP.

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