14 DAY TRIAL // The U.S. seems to be the target that most hackers and crackers have in sight, and according to a study published yesterday, about 9,3 million people were victims of this crime during 2004. Even though the numbers are extremely high and might surprise many, there's actual improvement considering that the year before there were 10.1 million consumers hit by the same problem. So if you think you're safe and took all possible precautions, maybe you should think again, as one in every 23 consumers is a victim of ID theft.
If generally speaking, sometimes defense is the best offence, going offline isn't the answer for this matter. Actually, if we were to believe what experts say, the Internet can be your best friend and help you fight online fraud. Staying in touch with all changes recorded on your bank accounts and permanently monitoring every money transfer in or out your account is what you should do. Study results indicate that consumers who spot fraud online suffer an average theft of about $500. Consumers who wait for paper records and suffer ID theft suffer average losses of $4,500. So be quick on your feet and keyboard and save whatever you can.
Another interesting aspect that the survey highlighted was that personal info is more likely to be stolen while offline. Only 12% of the respondents think their information was stolen electronically. So be more careful about where you leave your wallet, checkbook or write down your passwords (sometimes post-its on your monitor aren't the best way to keep your info private).