BJS Releases Study on ID Theft

The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has released the findings of a survey it conducted on identity theft in 2008. An estimated 11.7 million people, representing 5 percent of all persons age 16 or older in the United States, were victims of ID theft during the two years prior to being surveyed, according to the BJS. The financial losses amounted to more than $17 billion.

The findings are based on data from the 2008 Identity Theft Supplement (ITS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The ITS surveyed more than 56,000 persons age 16 or older in the United States about the types of identity theft experienced from 2006 through 2007.

Identity theft was defined in the survey as the attempted or successful misuse of an existing account, such as a debit or credit account, misuse of personal information to open a new account or misuse of personal information for other fraudulent purposes, such as obtaining government benefits.

Approximately 6.2 million victims, or 3 percent of all persons age 16 or older, experienced the unauthorized use or attempted use of an existing credit card account, the most prevalent type of ID theft. An estimated 4.4 million people reported the misuse or attempted misuse of a banking account, such as a debit, checking or savings account.

Another 1.7 million people experienced the fraudulent misuse of their information to open a new account, and about 618,900 persons reported the misuse of their information to commit other crimes, such as fraudulently obtaining medical care or government benefits or providing false information to law enforcement during a crime or traffic stop. About 16 percent of all victims, or 1.8 million people, experienced multiple types of ID theft during the two-year period.

About 23 percent of all victims suffered an out-of-pocket financial loss from the victimization, according to the BJS survey. Of the victims who experienced a personal loss, the average out-of-pocket financial loss was $1,870, with half losing $200 or less.

Approximately 40 percent of victims had some idea about how their identifying information was obtained. Of those who knew how the theft occurred, about 30 percent believed their information was stolen during a purchase or other transaction. Another 20 percent believed the information was stolen from a wallet or checkbook, followed by 14 percent who thought the information was stolen from personnel or other files at the office.

Men and women were equally likely to experience identity theft, but a greater percentage of persons ages 16 to 24 (6 percent) were victims of at least one type of identity theft than persons age 65 or older (3.7 percent), according to the survey. People living in households with an income of $75,000 or more were more likely to experience ID theft than people in lower-income households.

The report, “Victims of Identity Theft, 2008” (NCJ 231680), was written by BJS statisticians Lynn Langton and Michael Planty. The report can be found at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov.