The
Bureau of Justice Statistics recently released a report on identity theft victimization in 2012. According to the report, about 7% of U.S. residents age 16 or older were victimized by identity theft at least once in 2012. That year, victims reported $24.7 billion in direct and indirect losses from identity theft. By comparison, victims of burglary, motor vehicle theft, and other thefts reported $14 billion in losses combined.
Among other findings in the report:
- 85% of identity theft incidents involved the unauthorized use of an existing account.
- 91% of victims did not know anything about the offender’s identity.
- Among victims who had resolved any problems related to the identity theft when interviewed for the study, the majority spent less than a day resolving the problem; about 10% needed more than a month to resolve it.
For tips on what to do if you’ve been victimized by identity theft, see the
Federal Trade Commission website.
