Identity Theft Research

Facts & Figures

Credit Card Fraud - 28%
Phone & Utilities Fraud - 19%
Bank Fraud - 18%
Employment Fraud - 13%
Government Document & Benefits Fraud - 8%
Loan Fraud - 6%
Attempted Fraud - 6%
Other (Such as Social networking and communication websites) - 22%

• In 34% of the cases, someone obtained credit card info, forged a card in their name and used it to make purchases.
• 11% lost or had their wallet/purse stolen, using the identity to create a new identity for themselves.

• The risk of your identity being stolen has become such a reality, that many of the major insurance companies are now including "Identity Theft Insurance" protection in the insurance policies for renters and homeowners.
• You are vulnerable not only when your wallet, important papers and credit cards are stolen, but you Must also protect the areas that lead
  to these items being stolen.

http://www.beyondidentitytheft.com/

• Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United Kingdom and America.
• The number of identity theft incidents has reached 9.9 million a year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
• It takes the average victim an estimated $500 and 30 hours to resolve each identity theft crime.
• Studies have shown that it’s becoming more common for the ones stealing your identity to be those closest to you. One study found 32% of identity theft victims discovered a family member or relative was responsible for stealing their identity. That same study found 18% were victimized by a friend, neighbor or in-home employee.
• Only 28% of identity theft cases involve credit or financial fraud. Phone, utility, bank and employment fraud make up another 50% of cases.
  
  
  

  http://www.transunion.com/personal-credit/identity-theft-and-fraud/identity-theft-facts.page
  
  
  5 tips on how to avoid ID Theft

  
  

Ø Watch for shoulder-surfers. When entering a PIN number or a credit card number in an ATM machine, at a phone booth, or even on a computer at work, be aware of who is nearby and make sure nobody is peering over your shoulder to make a note of the keys you’re pressing.

Ø Require photo ID verification. Rather than signing the backs of your credit cards, you can write “See Photo ID”. In many cases, store clerks don’t even look at the signature block on the credit card, and a thief could just as easily use your credit card to make online or telephone purchases which don’t require signature verification, but for those rare cases where they do actually verify the signature, you may get some added security by directing them to also make sure you match the picture on the photo ID.

Ø Shred everything. One of the ways that would-be identity thieves acquire information is through “dumpster-diving”, aka trash-picking. If you are throwing out bills and credit card statements, old credit card or ATM receipts, medical statements or even junk-mail solicitations for credit cards and mortgages, you may be leaving too much information lying about. Buy a personal shredder and shred all papers with PII on them before disposing of them.

Ø Be diligent about checking statements. This actually has two benefits. First, if you are diligent about checking your bank and credit statements each month, you will be aware if one of them doesn’t arrive and that can alert you that perhaps someone stole it from your mailbox or while it was in transit. Second, you can ensure that the charges, purchases or other entries on the statement are legitimate and match up with your records so that you can quickly identify and address any suspicious activity.

Ø Pay your bills at the post office. Never leave your paid bills in your mailbox to be sent out. A thief who raids your mailbox would be able to acquire a slew of critical information in one envelope- your name, address, credit account number, your bank information including the routing number and account number from the bottom of the check, and a copy of your signature from your check for forgery purposes just for starters. Drop your bills at the post office or at least in an official U.S. Postal Service drop box to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Link to above facts and figures: http://netsecurity.about.com/od/newsandeditorial1/a/aaidenttheft_2.htm

3 Websites that promote awareness about Identity Theft

1. http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/fraud/types-of-fraud/online-fraud/identity-theft-and-fraud
2. http://www.identitytheft.org.uk/
3. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/governmentcitizensandrights/yourrightsandresponsibilities/dg_10031451

Existing campaigns against ID Theft

- http://www.dmaresponsibility.org/AvoIDTheft/
- http://www.ncpc.org/newsroom/current-campaigns/identity-theft

In my advert, I shall include some facts and statistics to make my advert seem more believable and realistic due to the amount of figure that would be included. I would also include some of the tips from my research in my work because I thought that they were quite good to use as the topic is Identity Theft.