Is This Good or Bad News?
How easy would it be to find this information for UK and continental Europe?
“An estimated 8.3 million Americans over the age of 18 were victims of identity theft in 2005, according to an analysis of a phone survey released Tuesday by the FTC. That represented a decline of about 16 percent from an estimated 9.9 million victims in 2003, when the agency last conducted its survey.”
“Identity theft cost U.S. businesses $55.7 billion in 2006, according to Javelin Strategy & Research. The FTC estimates that in 2006 the cost to consumers was $1.2 billion.
But experts say complaints filed with the FTC offer only a glimpse of the actual damage. “Most people don’t even think about calling the government because they are not going to help them get their money back,” Litan said.
The FTC estimates that 1.8 million Americans discovered some type of fraud committed using their personal information, 3.2 million had their credit card accounts misused and 3.3 million experienced misuse of other financial accounts.
Javelin’s estimates back the FTC’s findings. It said 8.4 million people were victims of identity theft in 2007, down from 8.9 million in 2006 and 9.3 million in 2005.”
November 30th, 2007 at 10:40 am
I would say that in the UK and Europe the situation is much the same as in the US. Despite banks and credit card companies now leading with identity theft protection products and an increasing incidence of breaches of personal data, the population remains painfully unaware of how identity theft can affect them.
A company in the UK has just launched a beta product (see http://www.realtea.net/Online_Identity) that is designed to increase interest and engagement in your online identity - viewing a proactive approach to managing your sensitive information.
Lets see where this goes…