Illinois AG releases list of top 10 consumer complaints in 2025 | How to protect yourself

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Numbers just released from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul list the biggest complaints in 2025, and the number one issue may not surprise you.

It's motor vehicle and used auto sales. There were more than 2,100 complaints, many involving "as-is" cars, financing, and warranties. When buying a used car, always get an independent mechanic inspection and review the vehicle history report.

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Number two on the list is construction and home improvement rip-offs. From roofing to plumbing disputes. If hiring a contractor, check references, verify their city or village license, and never pay the full amount upfront.

In 2025, the attorney general's Consumer Fraud Bureau saved consumers more than $9.4 million through mediation and secured more than $120.9 million through enforcement actions, Raoul's office said. The office received a total of 19,763 written complaints in 2025, in addition to tens of thousands of phone calls.

Full list of top 10 complaints:

• 1. Motor Vehicle/Used Auto Sales (as-is used cars, financing, advertising, warranties): 2,103 complaints


• 2. Construction/Home Improvement (remodeling, roofs and gutters, heating and cooling, plumbing): 2,014 complaints


• 3. Consumer Debt (residential mortgage lending, banks/financial institutions, collection agencies): 1,957 complaints


• 4. Identity Theft (credit cards, data breaches, utilities, government document fraud): 1,789 complaints


• 5. Promotions/Schemes (phone scams, work-at-home scams, lottery scams, investment schemes, phishing): 1,064 complaints


• 6. Internet/Mail Order Products (internet and catalog purchases, TV, and radio advertising): 1,019 complaints


• 7. Telecommunications (cable and satellite TV, telemarketing, wireless phones, phone service, and repairs): 788 complaints


• 8. Motor Vehicle/Non-Warranty Repair (collision, engines, oil changes, and tune-ups): 717 complaints


• 9. Motor Vehicle/New Auto Sales (financing, defects, advertising): 624 complaints


• 10. Travel/Tourism (Travel agents, sales, hotels, timeshares): 558 complaints