Survey: 85 Percent Of Consumers Taking Steps To Protect Identity
IdentityTruth recently reported the results on an online survey which polled 8,500 consumers on the issue of identity protection. The survey found that 85 percent of the respondents believe that they are taking some measures to protect their identities by shredding documents, securing sensitive information at home and using caution when responding to emails requesting information. The survey also disclosed that 75 percent of those respondents are most concerned with credit card fraud. Yet in 2006, over 13 million consumer identities were misused.
Moreover, a 2006 report published by the FTC, shows that out of the $5 billion in identity fraud, only 25 percent was based on credit card fraud and of that, only 12 percent was "new accounts fraud."
Commenting on the results, Steven Domenikos, CEO of IdentityTruth, stated, "These results confirm that there is a false sense of security among consumers as it relates to identity safety. It is encouraging that consumers are taking preventative measures to protect themselves, but these statistics prove that additional measures need to be taken where consumers face risk.
"The survey indicates that while many people are concerned about security, there is a certain level of inertia that has not been overcome. Proven methodologies are available to increase security procedures and they are not being implemented by a majority of consumers.
IdentityTruth's survey results reflect this disparity, including the following statistics: 89 percent of consumers say that they worry about identity theft; and 80 percent expressed interested in a service that would notify them of security-related problems.
Yet in everyday life, the behavior of most consumers contradicts their stated preferences: 85 percent do not have a home alarm or car alarm system, taking a passive approach to personal security; and only 12 percent of consumers subscribe to services that protect identity information.