Online ID Theft On The Rise, Consumers Falling Behind

CHICAGO, Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new nationwide survey shows that consumers continue to put themselves at risk of identity theft by ignoring simple protection tips like shredding personal documents, checking credit reports and locking mailboxes.  But the report, along with recent eye-opening interviews with convicted ID thieves, reveal Americans are falling even further behind in the fight to protect their identities as scam artists go digital.

The report, "Identity Theft: Who's at Risk?", shows Americans continue to ignore time-tested consumer protection tips that are known to help protect personal information from identity thieves. Only 59% of Americans regularly lock their mailboxes. More than 21% say they never shred any of the personal documents that could be used to steal their identity. And 54% of Americans ages 18-49 have left at least one valuable personal item in their car.

More troubling, Americans are even less prepared for new high-tech attacks. Over one-in-three (35%) Americans have not set up online access to all of their bank/credit card accounts. It gets worse among older adults as more than four-in-ten (42%) of Americans age 50+ have not set up such access. More than four-in-ten (45%) of Americans admit to using the same password on two or more of their accounts. Almost half (49%) of Americans have not changed the password on their online bank account in the past six months.

The danger of leaving these online doors open to ID thieves was amplified during recent AARP interviews with a convicted ID thief. Alice Lipski (not her real name) is the subject of a new article, "She Stole My Life" in the October/November issue of AARP the Magazine. Alice's crime included a mix of the usual approaches like sifting through stolen mail with other more high-tech advances that allowed her to digitally erase victim's lives while assuming their good names and credit.  To watch a video of Alice Lipski's interview click here:

Other survey results included:

• Twelve percent of Americans age 18 or older have been subject to identity theft in just the past 12 months.
• Over half (52%) of Americans do not check their free credit report annually.
• Just 14% of Americans say they subscribe to identity theft protection services such as Lifelock, Identity Guard, or LegalShield.
• Just 17% of Americans check their credit regularly with one of the credit bureaus.

In an effort to arm all Americans with the tools and resources they need to spot and avoid scams, and avoid identity theft, AARP launched the Fraud Watch Network. A free resource for people of all ages, the Fraud Watch Network offers real-time alerts about the latest scams in your state, a guide to outsmarting con artists, help for those who have been victimized, and easy tips for consumers' daily lives from identity theft prevention experts. The public can sign up free of charge at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork or by calling 877-908-3360.

Video - http://youtu.be/0lXYY7UkBis

SOURCE AARP Illinois