Identity Theft Statistics

Your chances of being a victim are 1 in 4!

Prevent Identity Theft

Identity theft statistics are shocking! In the past five years, 1 in 4 Americans was a victim of identity theft making it America's fastest growing crime. Identity theft statistics indicate that this crime costs the government, businesses, and citizens of America billions of dollars each year.

Victims of identity theft are left with both financial and emotional challenges. Identity theft statistics show the average cost of identity theft is 30 hours and $500 per victim. However, identity theft is a preventable crime if you are properly protected. Solutions from WhiteCanyon Software protect your identity on the Internet by removing unnecessary personal data.

The Federal Trade Commission recently conducted a study on identity theft. Below is a short summary of the alarming identity theft statistics they compiled.

Identity Theft Statistics from the FTC:

• All Types of Identity Theft

  4.6 percent of survey participants indicated that they were victims of identity theft in the past year.
  
  These identity theft statistics suggest that nearly 10 million Americans were victims of some form of identity theft within the last year.
  
  

• Credit Card Misuse

  1.5 percent of survey participants reported that in the last year their personal information had been misused to open new credit card accounts. Additionally, 2.5 Percent of survey participants reported other misuse of their credit card information in the last year..
  
  These identity theft statistics suggest that over 8.20 million Americans had their credit card information misused in the past year.
  
  

• Non-Financial Misuse

  15 percent of identity theft victims reported that their personal information was misused in non-financial ways. The most common misuse reported was for the identity theif to present the victim's name and identifying information when stopped by law enforcement authorities or when charged with a crime.
  
  

• Total Loss to Businesses

  Identity theft statistics suggest that the average loss to a business is $4,800. Total businesses losses from identity theft exceeded $47 billion in the last year.
  
  

• Total Loss to Individuals

  Identity theft statistics suggest that the average loss to an individual is 30 hours and $500. Total personal losses from identity theft exceeded 297 hours and $5 billion in the last year.
  
  

Identity Theft Statistics: U.S. Individuals and Businesses

Victims in the Last Year
Percent of Population	4.65
Number of Persons	9.91 Million
Loss to Businesses
Average Per Victim	$4,800
Total	$47.6 Billion
Loss to Victims
Average Per Victim	$500
Total	$5.0 Billion
Hours Victims Spent Resolving Their Problems
Average Per Victim	30 Hours
Total	297 Million Hours

Don't Become an Identity Theft Statistic

Traces of personal information including credit card numbers, passwords, and online banking information are often stored on your computer without your knowledge. This information can be retrieved by hackers, viruses, spyware, and anyone using your computer.

To protect your identity, use SecureClean to erase sensitive data from your system. SecureClean is US Department of Defense approved and is trusted by major Fortune 500 companies and government agencies around the world.