| Yearly Reports of Identity Theft to the Federal | | | | of several people are used in order to create an |
| Trade Commission: | | | | entirely new identity. Information may come in the |
| In 2007 identity theft accounted for 36 percent of | | | | form of an address from one person, the social |
| the 674,354 fraud and identity theft complaints | | | | security number of another and employment or |
| (reported to the Federal Trade Commission. | | | | banking information from a third or fourth. |
| In 2005 -255,565 cases of identity theft were | | | | Your Damages resulting from Identity Theft: |
| reported to the FTC | | | | In a study conducted of 173 victims of identity theft |
| In 2004 -246,847 cases of identity theft were | | | | by The Identity Theft Resource Center specific |
| reported to the FTC | | | | damages were explored. In each case the victim's |
| In 2003 215,177 cases reported of identity theft | | | | damages included: |
| were reported to the FTC | | | | - an extended period of time to correct their credit |
| In 2001 CBS News reported that someone became | | | | status; |
| the victim of identity theft every 79 seconds | | | | - 85% of the victims found out about the theft |
| (CBSnews.com, 1/25/01) | | | | when they attempted to apply for a job or credit; |
| Between 1997 and 2005 the Federal Trade | | | | - victims are currently spending over 600 hours |
| Commission reported that over 3 million cases of | | | | attempting to repair the damages to their credit |
| fraud and identity theft were reported to over 1400 | | | | - victims are spending money in the approximate a |
| law enforcement agencies in 19 nations. Identity theft | | | | amount of over $16,000 per victim to repair their |
| crimes are not limited to the United States but are | | | | credit |
| committed world wide. | | | | - it is taking longer to remove negative, incorrect or |
| Facts every consumer should know: | | | | falsified information from their credit reports |
| - Credit card fraud (26%) was the most common | | | | - many victims equate the emotional impact of |
| form of reported identity theft followed by phone or | | | | identity theft with that of a violent crime - in some |
| utilities fraud; (18%), bank fraud (17%), and | | | | cases similar to a rape as the violation can be that |
| employment fraud (12%). Other significant categories | | | | personal. |
| of identity theft reported by victims were | | | | Identity theft is a serious crime. Damages result to |
| government documents/benefits fraud (9%) and loan | | | | individuals, banks, and businesses as well as families. |
| fraud (5%). (Federal Trade Commission Complaint | | | | Imagine going to purchase your new home to find |
| Data) | | | | out that your credit is damaged and now you are |
| - the majority of cases go unreported to Federal or | | | | unable to. Imagine the time and money you will spend |
| local authorities | | | | to correct the problems associated with identity |
| - the most common age group affected by identity | | | | theft. Millions of dollars and Hundreds of thousands of |
| theft is 18-29 | | | | people in the United States and millions worldwide are |
| - the top 10 metropolitan areas affected by identity | | | | affected each year by identity theft. Victims, both |
| theft include: Phoenix, AZ; Las Vegas, NV; Miami, FL; | | | | personal and business must use valuable time, effort |
| San Francisco, CA; and Dallas, TX (2005) | | | | and resources to correct the situation, which in some |
| - California had the most reported cases of identity | | | | cases is beyond total repair. Damages are not only to |
| theft with a total of approximately 45,000 cases of | | | | your credit and your finances but also to your |
| identity theft (2005) | | | | emotional, physical, and psychological well being. |
| - the most common method of retrieving information | | | | Reporting suspected identity theft is essential to |
| for use in identity theft is through lost or stolen | | | | protecting yourself further and protecting others. |
| wallets, theft of mail, dumpster diving, and | | | | Reports should be filed with local authorities, your |
| information obtained through friends, family or | | | | State's Attorney General's office and the Federal |
| consumer providers | | | | Trade Commission. Consumers need to not only |
| - another common method of obtaining your | | | | protect their information but by reporting efforts at |
| information is by "stealing" it at a business that you | | | | identity theft may be able to stop it from happening |
| may you frequent | | | | in the future. |
| New, Harder to Detect Form of Identity Theft | | | | Consumers can report ID theft to the FTC by calling |
| Synthetic identity theft occurs when bits and pieces | | | | the agency's toll-free number: 877-438-4338. |