Reporter Resources: Identity Theft
In 2003, the FTC released the results of the first nation-wide survey of identity theft in the United States. The survey showed that just under 10 million Americans had been the victim of identity theft in the previous year. A news release detailing the highlights of that survey can be found here. Copies of the survey itself can be found here. In 2006, the FTC released another survey patterned after the original 2003 survey. The news release and survey can be found here. For statistical data about identity theft in the intervening years, contact Javelin Research, an independent firm that released information about surveys it conducted using the original FTC survey instrument.
Identity theft is a criminal law enforcement matter. While the FTC lacks criminal jurisdiction, it supports the criminal investigation and prosecution through its Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse, the nation's repository for identity theft complaints. In addition to housing over a million ID theft complaints, Sentinel offers its more than 1,600 law enforcement members, a variety of tools to facilitate the investigations and prosecution of identity theft. These include information to help agencies coordinate effective joint action; sample indictments; tools to refresh investigative data through programmed data searches; and access to “hot address” data bases. The complaint data is derived directly from consumers who have contacted the FTC through our toll free hotline, 1-877-ID-THEFT, or online complaint form. For the past several years, the agency has received roughly 250,000 consumer reports of identity theft. Because it is self-reported, the data in the ID Theft Data Clearinghouse does not reflect overall trends. Reports on this data can be found here.
While there is nothing consumers can do to prevent identity theft, there are many steps consumers can take to minimize their risk. Tips to help consumers avoid identity theft can be found here.
Consumers can take steps to detect whether they have become victims of identity theft. Tips are here.
Consumers should take a series of steps to recover from identity theft as soon as they detect it. Steps are here.
About half of all identity theft victims don’t know how their identifying information was stolen. Some instances result from such low tech methods as purse snatching or “dumpster diving.” Technology drives other techniques. For example, some independent organizations report that malicious e-mails known as “phishing”and software known as “spyware” may account for incidents of Internet-based identity theft. In phishing scams, e-mail arrives that appears to be from a well-known source – an internet service provider, a bank, or a mortgage company, for example. The e-mail ordinarily warns that something is wrong with their account, and to remedy the problem, the consumer must provide personal identifying information. The scammer uses the information to open new accounts, or invade the consumer’s existing accounts. Tips to avoid phishing scams can be found in an FTC Consumer Alert. Additional information can be found on our OnGuard Online website. Phishing also is beginning to migrate to telephones. One example is here. For information about how to reduce the risk of downloading spyware, click here
More information on identity theft can be found at www.ftc.gov/idtheft.
