ShareThisWondering if you are a prime target for identity theft? Check out these statistics to see what types of factors -- including such things as your state, gender and family income -- might put you at greater risk. All data based on Scripps Howard News Service's analysis of 1,401,875 records from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
ID theft complaints, by victim's state, from January 2005 to March 2010, based on Scripps Howard News Service analysis of 1,401,875 records from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission:
California ... 230,269 complaints
Texas ... 144,272 complaints
Florida ... 105,241 complaints
New York ... 97,701 complaints
Illinois ... 59,564 complaints
Pennsylvania ... 47,284 complaints
Georgia ... 46,969 complaints
Arizona ... 45,888 complaints
Michigan ... 38,289 complaints
Ohio ... 38,227 complaints
Most common types of ID theft reported to FTC from January 2005 to March 2010:
New credit card ... 185,287 complaints, or 13.2 percent of complaints
Employment ... 155,119 complaints, or 11.1 percent of complaints
Tax or wage ... 125,230 complaints, or 8.9 percent of complaints
Existing credit card ... 107,356 complaints, or 7.7 percent of complaints
New utility account ... 65,047 complaints, or 4.6 percent of complaints
ZIP codes with the most identity theft complaints, based on 1,375,487 victim complaints to the Federal Trade Commission from 2005 to early 2010 that include details on where the victim lives:
78521 (Brownsville, Texas).....1,513
90044 (Inglewood, Calif.).....922
60617 (Chicago).....919
10456 (Bronx, N.Y.).....898
60628 (Chicago).....886
11236 (Brooklyn).....877
11226 (Brooklyn).....873
60620 (Chicago).....859
10467 (Bronx, N.Y.).....844
60629 (Chicago, Ill.).....838
ZIP codes with the most suspected identity thieves, based on the 197,783 victim complaints to the Federal Trade Commission from 2005 to early 2010 that included details on the location of the suspected thief:
11226 (Brooklyn, N.Y.).....381 complaints
11212 (Brooklyn, N.Y.).....342
90044 (Los Angeles).....276
10453 (Bronx, N.Y.).....273
10456 (Bronx, N.Y.).....248
11236 (Brooklyn, N.Y.).....247
11207 (Brooklyn, N.Y.).....246
11208 (Brooklyn, N.Y.).....244
11203 (Brooklyn, N.Y.).....240
75243 (Dallas).....231
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Characteristics of identity theft victims:
Over a two-year period from 2006 to 2008, 11.7 million Americans age 16 or older were victims of real or attempted ID theft. Source: Victims of Identity Theft 2008, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 2010.
Other findings on ID theft victims from the Justice department study include:
Female victims ... .5.1 percent
Male victims ... 4.8 percent
Victims' age:
16-24 ... 6 percent
25-24 ... 5.9 percent
35-49 ... 5.1 percent
50-64 ... 4.8 percent
65 or older ... 3.7 percent
Victims' race:
White ... 5.1 percent
Hispanic ... 4.1 percent
Black ... 4.4 percent
Other ... 5 percent
Multiracial ... 10.4 percent
Victims' household income:
Less than $25,000 ... 3.6 percent
$25,000 to $49,999 ... 4.9 percent
$50,000 to $74,999 ... 5.1 percent
$75,000 or more ... 7 percent
For interactive map with breakdown of types of identity theft nationwide by ZIP code, go to: http://scrippsnews.com/content/map-identity-theft-complaints-zip-code
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
