With our lives now becoming more and more intertwined in the digital realm of the internet, hackers and identity thieves are finding new ways to steal personal information and make peoples lives a misery. Get wise to their new tricks and don't become a victim...
1. Every year in America, 9 million people fall victim to some form of identity theft.
- This costs $52.6 billion in damages
- The average theft per victim is $6,383.
- Average out of pocket expense for victim is $422.
2. 47% of identity thefts are perpetrated by someone the victim knew.
- People 25-34 have the highest rate of identity theft at 5.4%
- People 65+ have the lowest rate at 2.3%
3. The breakdown of how thieves get your information:
- 60% sorts through your trash or personal computer.
- 25% scam or hack you while online
- 15% steal your wallet.
A look at online identity theft:
- 57 million Americans receive scam emails a year
- 19% click on the link inside.
- 3% disclose bank and financial information by "accident".
- 1.7% are then scammed.
4. Receiving bank statements to your home makes you 8 times more likely to have your information stolen than going paperless.
The most common ways thieves use your information:
- 35%- Expensive purchases and other misc.
- 26%- Max out your credit cards and open new accounts.
- 20%- Sign up for new phone services.
- 14%- Defraud your bank account.
- 5% take a loan out.
5. A short guide to Password Security:
The top 3 most commonly used passwords in America are....
6. Statistics reveal these names and passwords cover 20% of the population:
- Yourself
- Your Partner
- Pets
- City you live in
- "God"
- "Letmein"
- "Money"
- "Love"
7. 1 in 5 people use the word "password" as their password for online banking.
Hackers don't target banks online, but attack online forums and stores that hold your passwords. Why? Because most people use the same password for everything.
8. Hackers can crack an 8 character password in lowercase with 2 hours.
Adding one uppercase letter and a symbol makes it 200 years.
So be warned...