FTC says identity theft worse than feared.(News)

RCR Wireless News, September, 2003

Identity theft is increasing and is much more of a problem than the government expected, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC estimated that 9.9 million people have been victims of identity theft in the last year, and 27.3 million people have been victims in the last five years.

As wireless carriers transitioned their networks from analog to digital technology, identity theft overtook cloning as the major fraud concern of carriers. The FTC commissioned a random telephone survey of 4,057 adults taken in March and April. By extrapolating the 4.6 percent of respondents who said they were victims of some form of identity theft, the FTC said 9.9 million Americans had been victims of identity theft. Of some comfort to carriers, only 1.5...

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