Identity Theft Fact: 10 Identity Theft Facts - What You Should Know About Identity Facts

10 Identity Theft Facts - What You Should Know About Identity Facts

By Security Editor

Here are some interesting, if scary, facts to keep you on your guard and guide you towards a greater awareness of the need for identity theft protection ...

The most pressing identity theft fact today is that Americans have become more vulnerable than ever before to all types of identity fraud and theft. As we manage more of our lives online and transact more business (and even socialize) over the Internet, we become more vulnerable. But even when we don't, we can't get away from it due to this identity theft fact:

Living in the information age with the rapid growth of technology all around us simply makes us more vulnerable.

The government has set up many hotlines and other bureaucratic tools to deal with the mushrooming crime of identity theft. But just like corporate America can't seem to catch up with the security implications of identity theft, so can't the government seem to legislate fast enough to deal with the problem.

Here are some interesting, if scary, facts to keep you on your guard and guide you towards a greater awareness of the need for identity theft protection:

Identity Theft Fact #1

Half the number of identity theft victims has no idea how their data was stolen.

Identity Theft Fact #2

A fourth of the victims said they only found out about suspicious movements in their accounts when their banks or credit card companies told them about it.

Identity Theft Fact #3

Less than 10% of victims said they only learned identity thieves targeted them when they were rejected when applying for credit.

Identity Theft Fact #4

Victims today discover identity theft earlier – but it takes longer to erase the bad marks from their credit records than ever before! (Average time to fix the problem = 600 hours, a three-hundred-percent increase from former figures!)

Identity Theft Fact #5

15% of identity theft victims say their data was used by thieves for non-financial matters, such as to get documents or forms from the government.

Identity Theft Fact #6

67% of all victims (that's 6.7 million Americans) say the thieves used their existing credit accounts, rather than opening new ones.

Identity Theft Fact #7

A fifth of all identity theft victims say thieves used their savings or checking accounts.

Identity Theft Fact #8

4% of all victims say that thieves got their personal data by simply stealing their mail!

Identity Theft Fact #9

The emotional effect on victims of identity theft equals that of those individuals who are victims of violence.

Identity Theft Fact #10

The attitude of the parties a victim of identity theft has to deal with lacks sensitivity. The situation hasn't improved since the first research was conducted around year 2000.

Next article: Using Identity Theft Statistics To Uncover Your Vulnerabilities

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