Identity Theft Statistics

One of the greatest identity theft concerns involves how it has been a common crime in recent years. This is a disturbing trend in that it is not only more commonplace in society but with technological advances in society it may only become more common. Here are some important identity theft statistics to use.

According to the Federal Trade Commission more than forty percent of the complaints that the group has gotten have involved identity theft. This is the most common compliant that people have sent over the past few years to the FTC. About ten million people total have had their information stolen so that an identity thief can open up credit cards or bank accounts that are fraudulent.

A majority of the instances of identity theft involve openings of new credit cards. About 3.2 million people around the world have fallen victim to this, thus creating a significant concern.

Another of the identity theft concerns is that of the financial costs of theft. Victims of theft have lost more than $50 billion in both new and existing accounts. Since about 47.5 million people have been victimized by identity theft that will equal to about five hundred dollars per person. Not only are people impacted but businesses can also be seriously harmed by theft.

Time is wasted from the people who try to get their identities back as well. It takes about thirty to sixty hours on average for a victim to handle identity theft. A total of about 300 million hours have been spent in the United States alone to handle identity theft cases. However, in many of these cases the people who have been victimized often know who the thieves are, and this can include family members, friends or employees of a business.

In many cases people who look to get their identities back will end up spending a good amount of money to get those identities back. It costs about eight hundred dollars on average to get a person to clear one's name and to get the previous credit history back. In fact, the time that it takes to get the credit back can be a while. The FTC states that it takes about fourteen to sixteen months to get one's name cleared from identity theft.

The last of the statistics that illustrate these identity theft concerns involves the growth in identity theft. Identity Theft Statistics states that the number of theft complaints in 2004 was fifteen percent higher than that of the complaints in 2003.

These are all identity theft statistics to greatly consider. Identity theft is a serious crime, and with these numbers it makes protecting one's identity even more important.

Idaho reaches settlement with ID theft protection company - KTVB

KMOX.com

Idaho reaches settlement with ID theft protection company KTVB by KTVB BOISE -- You've seen or heard the commercial where the owner of the identity theft protection company Lifelock gives out his social security number ... How to prevent identity theftSeattle Post Intelligencer (blog) LifeLock fined $12 million over lack of life-locking abilityArs Technica Identity theft company settles complaintUPI.com Wall Street Journal (blog) -Valley Star -TechNewsDaily all 456 news articles »

New House bill protects Utah children from ID theft - ABC 4

New House bill protects Utah children from ID theft ABC 4 SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Identity theft is exploding across the country and some of Utah's youngest people are at risk. In a press conference today, ... New legislation to guard against child ID theftFox 13 Now - Salt Lake City Shurtleff, legislators team up to protect kids from ID theftSt. George Daily Spectrum Utah looks to lock up kids' identitiesDeseret News all 6 news articles »

Prosecutors charge trio in identity theft ring that netted $2 million - Los Angeles Times

KSL-TV

Prosecutors charge trio in identity theft ring that netted $2 million Los Angeles Times They face multiple counts of conspiracy, identity theft, grand theft and computer access fraud. The suspects, who have pleaded not guilty and are being held ... 3 charged with SoCal gas pump ID theftThe Associated Press ID theft suspects plead not guiltySignal Three men arrested in stolen ID scamLos Angeles Daily News KHTS Radio all 195 news articles »

UTMB sends more letters to possible ID theft victims - Houston Chronicle

UTMB sends more letters to possible ID theft victims Houston Chronicle Katina Rochelle Candrick, who has been charged with identity theft in unrelated cases, is suspected of accessing credit card and banking information while ... UTMB warns more patients about ID theftGalveston County Daily News all 5 news articles »

Most victims of identity theft find out too late - Anderson Independent Mail

Most victims of identity theft find out too late Anderson Independent Mail LAVONIA — Most victims of identity theft don't realize their information has been stolen or compromised until it's too late. That's what happened to Monica ... and more »