Report on Identity Fraud

A report has recently been published by Council of Better Business Bureaus and Javelin Strategy & Research involving 5000 interviews with consumers. In brief, it found that identity fraud had decreased amongst adult victims between 2003 and 2006 from 10.1 million to 8.9 million people in the US. The average fraud amount per case has increased from $5,249 to $6,383, over 2 years. The report also highlighted four misperceptions:

Misperception #1: "Consumers are helpless to protect themselves"

Misperception #2: "Consumers bear the brunt of the financial losses from identity fraud"

Misperception #3: "Internet use increases the risks of identity fraud"

Misperception #4: " Seniors are most frequent targets of fraud operators"

Although the report is not free, more information can be found from this link to the BBB website.