TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: New York, California More Likely Identity Theft Targets

New York, California More Likely Identity Theft Targets

Jonathan Stempel, Reuters (reuters@telecom-digest.org)
Wed, 14 Feb 2007 22:51:55 -0600

By Jonathan Stempel

New Yorkers, especially around New York City, and Californians,
especially around Los Angeles, are more likely to be targets of
identity theft, according to a new study.

The study released Wednesday by ID Analytics Inc., a San Diego fraud
security firm, found that New York, California and Nevada have the
highest incidence of attempted identity theft, while Wyoming, Vermont
and Montana have the lowest rates.

Three other Western states ranked in the top 10 in fraud attempts:
Arizona (4), Oregon (7) and Washington (9).

Among states with large populations, Illinois ranked 5th, Michigan
8th, Texas 10th, New Jersey 12th, Florida 14th, Pennsylvania 36th, and
Ohio 46th.

Urban areas had higher fraud rates because larger populations make it
easier for criminals to "operate under the radar," according to
Stephen Coggeshall, chief technology officer at ID Analytics.

"With respect to income," he added, "(fraud) rates are elevated at the
high and low income ranges, and lower in middle income levels. In New
York, for example, that could help explain some rates, and why there
appear to be 'pockets' of fraud."

The study was released two weeks after Javelin Strategy & Research, a
Pleasanton, California firm, said identity theft cost Americans $49.3
billion last year, an 11.5 percent drop that might reflect increased
vigilance.

It said people with incomes above $150,000 were among those most at
risk.

ID Analytics studied incidents from January 2003 to June 2006,
including attempted thefts as well as reported crimes, using data
collected from clients and public sources.

It said 10 percent to 15 percent of fraud attempts involve stolen
identities of actual consumers, while the balance involved criminals
creating identities with real and false data.

According to the study, Manhattan residents with zip codes beginning
with "100" were four times as likely to be targeted. Next were
Brooklyn, New York residents with 112 codes, and Detroit residents
with 482 codes.

The next four zip codes were in the Bronx, Manhattan and Nassau
County, New York, followed by the 948 code in Contra Costa County,
near San Francisco, and Los Angeles' 900 code.

Of the top 50 codes, two-thirds were in New York and California.

Some findings appeared unusual.

The fraud rate in one zip code for Floral Park, New York was 63.3
times the national average, which Coggeshall attributed to an
unexplained surge in 2005.

That rate dwarfed the next highest rate, 12.3 times the national
average, in the zip code for Faulkton, South Dakota -- population 703.

Coggeshall said the data suggested that for consumers, "it's important
to be aware of your general level of identity risk."

Experts urge consumers not to divulge personal data in response to
unsolicited communications. They also recommend consumers notify
financial services providers and file fraud alerts with credit bureaus
if they suspect identity theft.

Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited.

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