Identity Thieves Hit 8.3 Million U.S. Residents in 2005

About 8.3 million U.S. residents -- nearly 4 percent of the nation's population -- were victims of identity theft in 2005, but few victims identified computer-related crime as the culprit, according to a U.S. Federal Trade Commission report released Tuesday.

"Whether you're from Malibu or Manhattan, Tacoma or Tallahassee, no one is immune to identity theft," Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. "The important thing is that people learn how to deter identity thieves, detect suspicious activity on their financial records, and defend against the crime, should it happen."

Seventeen percent of all ID theft victims said that their personal information was used to open at least one new account. The two most common types of accounts thieves opened were telephone service accounts, reported by 8 percent of victims; and credit card accounts, reported by 7 percent of victims.

The study was conducted through interviews using a random-digit-dialing sampling methodology. More than 4,900 telephone interviews were conducted between March 27 and June 11, 2006.

And what about you? Are you a victim of id theft? Have you reported such case to PD.? Maybe you've been forced to pay ransom?
Write your case.

quoted txt source