Posted Wednesday, February 1, 2012 --- 6:35 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Telemarketing tops the list of consumer complaints to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Nearly 1,700 written complaints about telemarketing were sent to the department in 2011. Many of them were from people irritated by "robo calls." That's an automated call to solicit business or personal information. Department administrator Sandy Chalmers says the agency gets about a dozen calls a day from consumers who want the practice to end. But, often they are difficult to stop because they're coming from overseas.

The Journal Sentinel (http://bit.ly/zqKQps) says identity theft made the top 10 list for the first time. Complaints about telecom and Internet providers are also in the top 10.

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Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com

Copyright 2012. The Associated Press.