May 2, 2008, Newsletter Issue #50: More than 7 Million Households Affected by ID Theft Every Year

Tip of the Week

The statistics for identity theft are reaching staggering proportions with no signs of a slowdown anytime soon. While the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the clearinghouse for identity theft reporting, a breakdown of identity theft data from various agencies gives a clear picture that ID theft crimes touch every corner of the nation.

· The U.S. Department of Justice Statistics show:

o More than 7 million households were affected by identity theft in 2004, outpacing drug trafficking as the nation’s number one crime.

o The first half of 2006, 432 defendants where charged with aggravated identity theft, nearly twice the number of ID theft charges in all of 2005 (226).

· In Waco, Texas alone, law enforcement reported a 700 percent increase in reported identity theft cases between 2004 and 2005.

· U.S. postal inspectors initiated 1,012 new identity theft-related cases in the first half of 2006, with 1,294 arrests in that same time period.

· The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has upwards of 1,500 open cases related to identity theft.

With identity theft statistics reaching new heights each year, it is more important than ever to start “locking out” potential thieves from access to our personal information as diligently as we lock our doors at night to prevent thieves from gaining access to our homes.

For more statistics about identity theft, information about prevention and protection, and updates on known scam alerts, visit the Identity Theft Resource Center online.

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