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Identity Theft Survey Report 2003 - Problems experienced. · Victims were asked whether they had experienced various types of problems as a result of
having their personal information misused. These included having problems obtaining or
using a Credit Card, being turned down for a loan, or having problems opening a bank
account or cashing checks. A total of 36% of all Identity Theft victims reported having at
least one of the problems identified.
· Those who experienced more serious forms of Identity Theft – having new accounts opened
in their names or having other forms of fraud committed using their personal information --
are far more likely to report having one or more the identified problems (64%) than those
who only had existing Credit Card accounts misused (18%) or had other existing accounts
misused (32%).
· The number of victims reporting one or more of these problems increases as the value of
loss increases. When the loss is less than $1,000, 23% reported problems, compared to
43% for those where the loss was between $1,000 and $5,000, and 74% when the loss was
$5,000 or more.
· The number of problems also depends on the extent and type of misuse of the victim’s
information. Just 17% of those who had only 1 to 3 existing Credit Card accounts misused
reported other problems as well. However, 76% of those who experienced four or more
distinct misuses of their personal information reported other problems as a result of their
victimization.
Read part II.
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