Identity Theft Fact Sheet

Identity Theft is a Crime

• The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 makes it a federal crime when someone “knowingly transfers or uses, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable state or local law.”

The Statistics

• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received over 86,000 complaints from victims in 2001. (http://www.ftc.gov/os/2002/03/idthefttest.htm)

• The most prevalent form of ID theft is credit card fraud. Forty-two percent of victims reported credit card fraud in 2001. In over two-thirds of credit fraud ID theft cases, thieves had set up new credit card accounts in the victims’ names. (http://www.ftc.gov/os/2002/03/idthefttest.htm) 

• Larger states traditionally have the highest number of identity theft victims: Consumers from California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Illinois reported the crime most often to the FTC. (http://www.ftc.gov/os/2002/03/idthefttest.htm)
  
• The District of Columbia leads the nation in ID theft victims per capita, with 77 victims per 100,000. California and Nevada follow with 45 and 41 victims, respectively. (GAO Report # GAO-02-363)

  Costs of Identity Theft

• 2,633 victims said they lost money or paid out-of-pocket as a result of identity theft. (GAO Report # GAO-02-363).
• Credit card fraud related to identity theft cost companies $1.1 billion in 2000. (GAO Report # GAO-02-363)
• In almost 1,300 complaints reported to the FTC, identity theft victims said that they had been subjected to “criminal investigation, arrest, or conviction.” (GAO Report # GAO-02-363)