 FTC Report on Identity Theft
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The important thing is that people learn how to deter identity thieves, detect suspicious activity on their financial records, and defend against the crime, should it
happen.
Lydia B. Parnes, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer
Protection
A Federal Trade Commission
survey conducted in the spring of 2006 found that 8.3 million American
adults, or 3.7 percent of all American adults, were victims of
identity theft the prior calendar year, in three categories....
- Misuse of their existing credit card
accounts: 3.2 million victims.
- Misuse of non-credit card accounts: 3.3
million. victims.
- New accounts were opened or other frauds
committed using their personal identifying information: 1.8 million
victims
Cost to Victims
Costs associated with identity theft varied
widely, but in 10 percent of cases, thieves got at least $6,000 worth of goods or services.
To resolve problems resulting from identity theft, ten percent of all victims reported out-of-pocket expenses of $1,200 or
more. Ten percent of victims spent at least 55 hours resolving their problems, and half of those spent at least 130 hours.
Worst Kinds of ID Theft
The survey found that thieves obtained more goods and services and victims spent more time and money recovering in cases where the thief opened new accounts rather than only hijacking existing accounts. Where the theft was
limited to the misuse of existing accounts, the median value of goods and services obtained by the thieves was less than $500. Where the thieves opened new accounts or committed other frauds, the median value of goods and services they obtained was $1,350.
Bad Credit from Identity Theft
Thirty-seven percent of victims reported experiencing problems beyond the time they spent recovering and their out-of-pocket expenses. These problems included being harassed by debt collectors, being denied new credit, being unable to use existing credit cards, being unable to get loans, having their utilities cut off, being subject to a criminal investigation or civil suit, being arrested, and having difficulties obtaining or accessing bank accounts. When thieves opened new accounts and committed other frauds, victims were more than twice as likely to report having one or more of these types of problems than when thieves misused only existing accounts.
Phone Service and Credit Card Fraud
Seventeen percent of all ID theft victims said that their personal information was used to open at least one new account. The two most common types of accounts thieves opened were telephone service accounts (including both land-line and wireless phone accounts), reported by eight percent of victims; and credit card accounts, reported by seven percent of victims.
Eighty-five percent of all ID theft victims reported that one or more of their existing accounts had been misused, including credit card, checking, or savings accounts; telephone service accounts; internet payment accounts; e-mail and other internet accounts; and medical insurance accounts.
Medical, Rental, and Benefit
Imposters
Twelve percent of victims reported that their information was misused in other ways. Five percent said that their name and/or personal information was given to the police when the thief was stopped or charged with a crime. Three percent of victims said that the thief had obtained medical treatment, services, or supplies using their personal information. One percent reported that a thief misused their personal information to rent housing, obtain government benefits, or get a job.
Early Discovery Limits ID Theft Losses
Approximately 40 percent of victims whose identity theft was limited to the misuse of existing accounts discovered the misuse within one week of when it began. In contrast, nearly one-quarter of victims of new account and other frauds did not find out about the misuse of their information until at least six months after it started. In cases where they discovered the misuse more quickly, victims reported lower out-of-pocket losses and thieves obtained less.
How Their Identities Were Stolen
Fifty-six percent of all victims were unable to provide any information on how their personal information was stolen. The 44 percent who did provide such information included 16 percent of all victims who said that their information was stolen by someone they knew personally. Victims who reported a personal relationship with the thief mentioned three types of relationships: six percent of all victims cited family members or relatives as the thief; eight percent cited friends, neighbors, or in-home employees; and two percent cited someone with whom they worked. Because most victims do not know how their information was compromised, these numbers may under-represent the actual percentage of victims who had a personal relationship with the individual who stole their information.
Services To Fight Identity Theft
Monitoring your credit report periodically is one valuable way to check for activity that you didn't
authorize. You can get a free credit
report online for an immediate checkup.
The FTC has issued a publication, To Buy or Not To Buy: Identity Theft Spawns New Products and Services To Help Minimize
Risks, to help consumers evaluate whether they should initiate fraud alerts or credit freezes or invest in identity theft products and services such as credit monitoring that are for sale.
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