Identity Theft Protection

Archive for May, 2008

You may be surprised by what identity theft statistics reveal about the crime and its victims.  Many people have a lot of misconceptions about the circumstances surrounding the crime, and some still don’t even view it as an actual crime.  If you give identity theft statistics a few minutes of your time and consideration you may find out your own risk and how to avoid having this happen to you.

For one thing, most identity theft statistics show that the vast majority, some 90%, of cases happen through offline means as opposed to have an identity and sensitive information compromised online through the internet.  While identity theft does sometimes happen through fraudulent websites and emails and means such as this, you are usually safer handling your finances and things such as this through the internet rather than in person, sending checks through the mail.  Many identity theft statistics also show that the majority of cases happen from stolen checkbooks, wallets, purses, and things that a person was carrying on them at the time.  Pickpockets are now targeting that precious information just as much as they’re targeting your cash.

Identity theft statistics also show that many cases are perpetrated by someone the victim knew such as a relative, neighbor, coworker, and so on.  They may allow someone in their home and not think about putting away their important papers, or allow a distant relative or old friend to stay with them and neglect to lock up their papers and cards.  These may be some of the most disturbing identity theft statistics there are, the thought that a so-called friend or relative could take advantage of someone or of their hospitality in order to steal their identity is just downright obscene.

The good part of identity theft statistics is that people do seem to be more aware of the threat and are doing a better job of protecting themselves.  While declines in identity theft statistics are marginal, they are decreasing somewhat every single year.  It’s unlikely that this is because less people are reporting the crime as so many are realizing that it truly is a crime that needs to be dealt with in an appropriate fashion; chances are better that people are just being more fastidious in protecting themselves.

Other surprising identity theft statistics are that senior citizens are actually the smallest group of victims.  Seniors do face special threats from those who scam or con them out of their savings but usually identity theft is not typically a problem for them.  The 35-44 age group actually had the highest numbers of identity theft.  Statistics however show that no age group is immune as even children can have their identity stolen.

You may wonder just where you fit in to these identity theft statistics but keep in mind that it’s important to be proactive in taking steps to protect yourself regardless of your age group, your financial situation, your family situation, and so on.

You will find all you need to know to protect your identity in our ebook “Identity Theft Protection.”