NEWS

Facts about identity theft

NJ.Com

12/3/2007 - -- In 2005, about 1.6 million households experienced theft of existing accounts other than a credit card, such as a banking account, and 1.1 million households discovered misuse of personal information, such as a Social Security number. Advertisement -- Ten percent of households with incomes of $75,000 or higher experienced identity theft. That was about twice the percentage of households earning less than $50,000. -- Across all types of identity theft, the average amount lost per household was $1,620. -- In 2004, households headed by persons ages 18-24 and those in the highest income bracket ($75,000 or more) were the most likely to experience identity theft. -- Three in 10 households experiencing any type of identity theft discovered it by missing money or noticing unfamiliar charges on an account. Almost one in four was contacted by a credit bureau. -- About two-thirds of households experiencing identity theft reported some type of a monetary loss as a result of theft. Source: The U.S. Department of Justice. Statistics represent the most recent available.