A Look at Identity Theft Statistics

In this day and age, identity theft is one of the most common and serious types of crimes being perpetrated. For you to appreciate the extent and severity of identity theft, considering some identity theft statistics will be helpful for you. Through this article you are presented an overview with some identity theft statistics.

First of all, when considering identity theft statistics, the total amount of money that was lost to identity theft in 2006 (the most recent year that full identity theft statistics are available) was almost $57 billion. According to these identity theft statistics, the average amount of money lost per person due to this fraud was nearly $6,400 in 2006.

According to identity theft statistics, 73% of the victims of identity theft advised that the identity theft crime they suffered from involved the misappropriation of their credit card account. In other words, according to identity theft statistics, credit card fraud still tops the list when it comes to the different types of identity theft crimes.

The average time that a person spends working to resolve the problems that arise in the aftermath of identity theft is about 40 hours. Research has demonstrated that the emotional impact that a victim of identity theft suffers is similar to that which is experienced by victims of violent crime.

One of the more startling identity theft statistics is the fact that many criminals who are involved in this type of crime end up getting away with their efforts time and time again. With this said, law enforcement agencies are getting better at policing the Internet and other venues where identity theft is prevalent.

As identity theft statistics reveal, identity theft is one of the most pervasive types of crimes that are being committed today. As a result, a consumer like you particular is vunerable to becoming the victim of identity theft. Indeed, there is some research to suggest that everyone will become the victim of identity theft at some point in his or her life.

The bottom line is that because identity theft is so widespread and commonplace, it is important that you take proactive steps to protect yourself against identity theft. You will want to work diligently to fully ensure that you are as protected against identity theft as you possibly can be in this day and age. In short, when it comes to this type of crime which is demonstrated through identity theft statistics ? you simply cannot ever let your guard down.