One-third of Americans have had their identity stolen
One-third (29 percent) of American adults say they have had their identity stolen, according to a new national survey by FindLaw.com. Approximately ten percent of Americans report having their identity stolen more than once.
According to the FindLaw.com survey, the commonly reported types of identity theft are:
- Credit card lost or stolen: 11%
- Stolen by online purchase: 7%
- ID stolen (e.g,, drivers license): 6%
- Stolen by computer virus or hacker: 4%
- Friend, relative or acquaintance tried to pass themselves off as you: 4%
- Stolen but not sure how: 6%
- Other: 3%
People between the ages of 18 and 24 are the most likely to report having been victims of identity theft, while people age 65 and older are the least likely. Men and women report equal rates of identity theft.
“While many people worry about online identity theft, such as hackers, the most commonly reported identity theft simply involves having your credit card, driver’s license or other ID lost or stolen,” said Stephanie Rahlfs, an attorney-editor at FindLaw.com. “With nearly one-third of people reporting having had their identity stolen – both online and offline — it’s important to know how to protect yourself and what to do if you believe your identity has been stolen to protect your personal and financial information.”
Free information on how to protect yourself against identity theft, including how to detect identity theft, what to do if you believe your identity has been stolen, whether you are liable for unauthorized credit card charges and more can be found at FindLaw’s Consumer Protection Center.
The FindLaw.com survey was conducted using a demographically balanced survey of 1,000 American adults and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percent.
