Identity Theft Facts That May Surprise You

Every day people become victims of identity theft. But why?

Knowing the different types of ID theft and some of the following facts could help you to answer this question. Once you understand, hopefully, you can defend yourself against one of the most insidious modern world crimes.

One of the most important identity theft facts that you need to keep in mind is that ID theft comes in many different forms. Some people think that it simply means having your credit card used without your permission. The reality though, is that an identity thief can impact almost any aspect of your life. Even worse is that often times you don't realize it until it's too late.

The truth is, ID theft is not just about fraudulent credit card activity.

According to 2009 identity theft facts gleaned from the FTC, credit card fraud only accounted for about 17 percent of identity theft complaints. But there were other more disturbing complaints including government document fraud and employment fraud. Also, there were high instances of utility and phone fraud.

It should be no surprise that many people all over the world have been victims of identity theft at one time or another.

However in the USA, identity theft facts and figures from 2009 indicate that those in Florida, Arizona and Texas are at the most risk. In fact, Florida was the state with the most identity theft crimes reported that year.

Another of the important identity theft facts to know is that for the most part, it is a crime on the rise. Not only is ID theft becoming much more common, but identity thieves are getting much more creative about how they steal identities and for what purposes.

For example, in 2009, identity theft facts showed that government document fraud made up 16 percent of all identity thefts in the USA. Loan fraud accounted for 4 percent and bank fraud made up 10 percent. There were also plenty of other ID theft scams floating around, and today there are even more.

What most of these identity theft facts have in common is that the victims probably never saw it coming.

All it takes is one secure bit of information given on the phone, input into a computer, or one sensitive document falling into the wrong hands. Today it is quite easy to become a victim of identity theft.

So, if you don't want to be the next victim, do yourself a favor and be careful with your personal information.

Take these important identity theft facts to heart and keep your information safe. Not only that, but tell your friends and family to do the same.

Want to discover more important identity theft facts? Visit www.theidtheftreport.com for ID theft articles and resources.
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