Identity Theft: A Research Report

• NCJ Number: 216096
• Author(s): Robert Morris; Glen Kercher; Matthew Johnson
• Date Published: 2006
• Length: 17 pages
• Corporate Author: Crime Victims' Institute
• Sale Source: Crime Victims' Institute
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report presents findings from two identity theft victimization surveys in Texas.

Abstract

Main survey results indicated that over 20 percent of respondents to the Identity Theft Survey (ITS) and almost 10 percent of respondents to the Texas Crime Victimization phone survey (CVS) had been victims of identity theft, which was a much higher incidence than the estimated national average of 4 percent. The average age of identity theft victims was 44 years and the majority of victims had college degrees and had annual household incomes greater than $30,000. Females comprised more than half of identity theft victims and Whites were more likely to be victimized than other racial groups. The most common type of identity theft involved opening or misusing credit card accounts. When asked about how they discovered the identity theft victimization, 28 percent were informed by a bank or other financial institution about unusual changes; 20 percent were informed by a collection agency that they were in default; and 14 percent reported they discovered suspicious credit card charges. Over half of the victims reported losses of more than $1,000 up to $100,000. Over half reported their victimization to police while less than 6 percent of victims reported their victimization to the Federal Trade Commission. The findings suggest that unlike, property crime and violent crime, identity theft is more common among those with household incomes that are above the State median. A list of recommendations is presented, including the advice to educate the public about identity theft and require financial institutions to report identity thefts to a national clearinghouse. Participants of the ITS were a stratified random sample of 247 Texas citizens who completed a mailed questionnaire about their identity theft victimization experiences during the past 5 years. Participants of the CVS were a random sample of 751 Texas citizens who completed telephone interviews about their victimization experiences. Tables, endnotes, appendixes