Identity fraud in U.S. is on the rise, report
While cyberattacks and hacking seem to be constantly making headlines these days, identity fraud is also on the rise.
A new report by Javelin Strategy and Research shows that identity fraud has increased for the last three years in a row -- affecting more than 5 percent of U.S. adults. In 2012, 12.6 million people were identity victims.
According to Javelin, identity fraud is up 4.9 percent from 2011 and 4.35 percent from 2010. The firm said that scammers are increasingly gaining access to people's personal information and accounts through data breaches and malware attacks. The report, "Data Breaches Becoming a Treasure Trove for Fraudsters," details the types of identity fraud that are now on the rise. The two main scams are "account takeover fraud" and "new account fraud."
