Categories: Identity theft, consumer protection, id theft, social security number, stolen identity

Stolen identities transcend social security numbers. Everything from resumes, online personal ads and private account information are vulnerable to plagiarizing, identity thieves. Here are few consumer facts on stolen and copied identities:

n  According to Identity Truth, one in every 20 American adults shares their social security number with a minimum of one other person. Even if the error is due to the data input of a number, it improves the chances of identity theft. In addition, it does not change the fact that personal information has been compromised.

   n    Identity theft cases have found as many as six individuals sharing the same social security number.

n    Children are the most susceptible to identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC )reported that between 2003 and 2006, there was a 66 percent escalation in identity theft cases. ID thieves prefer children targets because the appropriation can go undetected for years, until the adolescent applies for a job, college student loan or financing.

n    The online dating site, Engage.com market research results show that almost 10 percent of online daters admit to plagiarizing other people's online personal profiles.

n    A report published by the UC Berkeley's Center for Law determined that the highest cases of identity theft complaints were from consumers of the following corporate giants: AT&T, Bank of America, Dell, Sprint/Nextel, Macy’s,Target, Sears and Wal-Mart. 

Related articles: Consumer Beware and SSN Savvy

 Holly Bentz (c) 2008 fruitionmedia.net