Fastest Growing Crime in the United States
Identity theft is quickly becoming a legitimate threat to every American. It is the fastest growing crime in the United States.
- The Secret Service and the Federal Trade Commission

Identity Thieves Are Not Convicted
Fewer than 1 in 700 identity crimes leads to a conviction.
- Avivah Litan of research firm Gartner Group

56.6 Billion Dollars in One Year
Identity Theft cost businesses and consumers 56.6 Billion Dollars in 2005.
- Javelin Report, 2006

More Than Credit
Of the new accounts that get opened by identity thieves, approximately half are credit card accounts, but cell phone accounts, utility accounts, bank accounts and apartment rentals are also important targets for identity thieves.
- Federal Trade Commission

$25 Billion in Losses
"New account" identity theft costs over $25 billion in losses to the victims each year. (examples: cell phone accounts, utility accounts, medical bills, bank accounts and apartment rentals)
- Federal Trade Commission

People Don't Know They Are Victims
Identity theft victims typically don't discover their information has been stolen until 12 months after a thief first used it.
- Javelin Group

Companies Lose Consumers' Personal Information
Between Feb 2005 and March 2006 more than 55 million Americans were put at risk by security breaches, leaving them vulnerable to identity theft.
- Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

Hours of Time
The average time spent by victims restoring the effects of identity theft is about 600 hours
- Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

Letter To The President, April 2007
“There is a consensus that identity theft’s damage is widespread, that it targets all demographic groups, that it harms both consumers and businesses, and that its effects can range far beyond financial harm.”
-Alberto R. Gonzales,  Chairman Attorney General
-Deborah Platt Majoras,  Co-ChairmanChairman, Federal Trade Commission

Identity Theft Complaints Again Top the List
For the seventh year in a row, identity theft tops the list, accounting for 36 percent of the 674,354 complaints received between January 1 and December 31, 2006.
- Federal Trade Commission