US: 57 percent of users feel the effects of identity theft

According to a survey by Experians ProtectMyID, two out of three victims experienced fraudulent charges on their credit or debit cards. 28% discovered a new account was opened in their name.

Survey respondents became aware they were victims of identity theft by their financial institution or card issuer (35%) or by noticing charges on their payment card themselves (30%). Almost 50% of survey respondents attribute the theft to a data breach. One out of five local residents are victims of medical identity theft.

Findings indicate that only 37% of survey respondents are somewhat likely to take proactive steps to safeguard their personal information, and 12% are not likely. Many consumers practice risky behaviors such as failing to password-protect their smartphone or tablet device (49%) or not developing difficult PINs and passwords (61%). A majority also believe that monitoring all of their financial transactions is too time-consuming (63%). Yet, 65% of survey respondents believe that they are the most responsible for the security of their personal information.

Some of the good security habits D.C. metro area residents are practicing include avoiding sharing their Social Security number unless required by law (74% of survey respondents), being wary of phishing scams (67% of survey respondents) and storing their Social Security card in a safe place (65% of survey respondents). Survey respondents are looking to improve their security practices, with 40% seeking to monitor their payment-card transactions.