There was also a drop in complaints about "advance fee scams," where the victim is promised a big lottery payout or inheritance as soon as they pay a phoney administrative fees. These dropped from 9.8 percent in 2009 to 7.6 percent last year.

It's not surprising if scammers are looking for new activities because consumers may be getting wise about some of these crimes, said Adam Chernichaw, a partner with the law firm White & Case in New York, who consults with financial services companies. "After a number of years in the spotlight you get your consumer base educated and they search for an easier route," he said.

Chernichaw believes the overall number of complaints may be down because companies are getting better at dealing with fraud. Online merchants are getting better about refusing suspicious transactions and automated fraud detection tools are picking up scams earlier, he said.

The IDG News Service