Survey: Identity theft up, but costs fall sharply

[Gunny]

By CANDICE CHOI, AP Personal Finance Writer – Mon Feb 9, 12:03 am ET

NEW YORK – The number of Americans ensnared by identity theft is on the rise, but victims are striking back more quickly and limiting how much is stolen.

In 2008, the number of identity theft cases jumped 22 percent to 9.9 million, according to a study released Monday by Javelin Strategy & Research. The good news is that the cost per incident — including unrecovered losses and legal fees — fell 31 percent to $496.

One reason for the spike in cases is likely the worsening economy. Just last month, 598,000 jobs were slashed across the country and unemployment jumped to 7.6 percent.

Survey: Identity theft up, but costs fall sharply - Yahoo! News

 

[editec]

The obvious solution is to crash your credit rating such that anyone who steals it steals trash.

 

[catzmeow]

I'm sure that illegal immigration has nothing to do with the drastic rise in stolen identities in the U.S. in the past decade.



Because, as we all know, illegal immigration is a "victimless crime."