Indians wake up to identity thefts, still reluctant to react

As the cyber world unveils websites that let you live a 'second life', fake identities and identity thefts are fast emerging a menace giving spurt to hate mails and even serious crimes.

Identity theft remains unrecognised by many Indians, but many may already be becoming targets even without realising it, experts say.

One of the fastest growing crimes in the developed nations like United States, it is spreading in developing economies too. According to a website that monitors cyber crimes, in 2006, identity theft complaints made up thirty seven per cent (37 per cent) of all fraud complaints.