Study: Identity theft hits record high

Criminals use social networks, online transactions to gather victims' information.

More people in the United States are falling victim to identity fraud. A study by Javelin Strategy & Research showed that the number of victims jumped by 12% to 11.1 million adults in 2009, the biggest increase since the survey began in 2003. Identity fraud continues on the upswing and we believe it will continue to rise if consumers fail to take proactive steps to prevent fraudsters from taking advantage of their offline and online transactions and their increasingly exposed personal information on social networks. The study said that total overall fraud rose by 12.5% to $54 billion. The perpetrator is often someone the victim knows, such as a family member or presumed friend, according to Javelin founder James Van Dyke. The number of new credit card accounts opened fraudulently rose 39% in 2009, with new online accounts more than doubling, and the number of new e-mail payment accounts rising 12%. The study also found that 29% of identity-fraud victims said that mobile phone accounts were fraudulently opened in their names.

We must be vigilant with whom you are sharing your personal information and where you are sharing it.