Identity Theft Protection Tips

Our identity theft protection infographic shows you how to protect yourself against what is now the fastest-growing crime in the United States.

Protect yourself against the fastest-growing crime in the nation.

The facts:

There are 14.4 million identity fraud victims annually.

Identity theft cost victims $1.7 billion out of pocket.

An expensive fraud. Credit bureau TransUnion estimates it takes $600 and 100-200 hours to clean up the mess left behind by ONE identity thief.

12 steps to protect yourself against identity theft:

Check your bank statements monthly for suspicious activity.
Take advantage of the three free credit checks available at www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action.
Don’t leave mail in your mailbox overnight or on weekends.
Keep anti-virus software and a firewall up to date on your computer, tablets and other devices.
Remain alert: An identity thief may wait 12 months or longer before using your information.
Be careful when opening email attachments or downloading files.
Shred sensitive documents and hard drives before disposing of them.
Encourage creditors to verify your identity by placing a fraud alert or security freeze on your credit reports.
Do not disclose credit card or other financial account numbers on a website unless the site offers a secure transaction: A lock will appear on the bottom strip of the web browser page or the web page will change from “http” to “https” when you are asked to input personal data.
Keep your credit/debit card PIN safe. Don’t write it on the card or a piece of paper. Shield the keypad when using ATMs.
Do not reply to emails or pop-up messages that ask for personal or financial information.
Caution your children against giving out their address, telephone number, password, school name or other personal information online.

Who is most at risk for identity theft?

Child identity fraud or theft will affect 25% of kids before turning age 18.

19% of identity theft complaints impacted seniors (those age 60+).

According to the FTC, identity theft is the second most reported complaint by those in the military community.

There is a new victim of identity theft every 2 seconds.

Top 10 states for identity theft:

Top 10 metropolitan areas for identity theft:

Macon/Bibb County, GA

Columbus, GA/AL

Atlanta/Sandy Springs/Roswell, GA

Warner Robins, GA

Miami/Fort Lauderdale/West Palm Beach, FL

Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim, CA

Las Vegas/Henderson/Paradise, NV

Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington, TX

Memphis, TN/MS/AR

Bakersfield, CA

Top 5 types of identity theft:

Credit card fraud (new accounts) – 41%

Miscellaneous identity theft – 27%

Tax fraud – 12%

Mobile telephone (new accounts) – 10%

Credit card fraud (existing accounts) – 10%

SOURCES

Bellemare, Jennifer. “Identity Theft Odds: Identity Theft Statistics: Reduce the Risk of ID Theft: IdentityForce.” We Aren't Just Protecting You from Identity Theft. We Protect Who You Are., 7 Apr. 2020, www.identityforce.com/blog/identity-theft-odds-identity-theft-statistics.
Bellemare, Jennifer. “Identity Theft Recovery: IdentityForce.” We Aren't Just Protecting You from Identity Theft. We Protect Who You Are., 27 July 2019, www.identityforce.com/blog/how-much-time-does-identity-theft-recovery-take.
Douglas, Rob. “Trends and Statistics about Identity Theft.” ConsumerAffairs, ConsumerAffairs, 27 Mar. 2020, www.consumeraffairs.com/finance/identity-theft-statistics.html.
“Identity Theft Statistics.” Experian, 23 Jan. 2020, www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/identity-theft-statistics.
Jowers, Karen. “8 Ways for Troops, Families and Veterans to Fight Identity Theft.” Military Times, Military Times, 27 Feb. 2018, www.militarytimes.com/pay-benefits/mil-money/2018/02/27/8-ways-for-troops-families-and-veterans-to-fight-identity-theft.
“Facts + Statistics: Identity Theft and Cybercrime.” III, www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-identity-theft-and-cybercrime.
Marchini, Kyle, and Al Pascual. “2019 Identity Fraud Study: Fraudsters Seek New Targets and Victims Bear the Brunt.” Javelin, 6 Mar. 2019, www.javelinstrategy.com/coverage-area/2019-identity-fraud-report-fraudsters-seek-new-targets-and-victims-bear-brunt.