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The True Citizen, Wednesday, October 13, 2021 — Page 7B
Eight surprising facts about identity theft
KELVIN COLLINS
Communication, work,
school, shopping and even
doctor’s visits have undergone
massive digital transformations
in the past year. Identity thieves
are evolving right alongside us
to better exploit victims in an
increasingly digital world. The
result is a sharp rise in both
the number of fraud incidents
and the amount of money lost
($712 billion in 2020 according
to the Aite Group).
Check out these 8 facts illus
trating the scale of the identity
theft crisis. Then, assess your
risk and craft a plan to protect
your identity.
1. Fraud and identity theft
rose by 45% from 2019 to
2020.
Life changed dramatically
last year. Confusion over the
COVID-19 pandemic collided
with rapid transitions to remote
work and learning. At the same
time, many consumers lost jobs
and loved ones. Together, these
factors contributed to a sharp
rise in scams, fraud and iden
tity theft-nearly doubling the
number of identity theft reports
consumers submitted in 2019.
2. 29% of all reports sub
mitted to the FTC were about
identity theft.
Consumers nationwide sub
mitted 1.4 million reports of
identity theft to the FTC’s
Consumer Sentinel Network.
Identity theft was the most
commonly reported incident,
topping common scam types
like impostor and online pur
chase scams.
3. Reports of thieves taking
over accounts have increased
72% since 2019.
As more services shift on
line, consumers’ private in
formation shifts as well. One
consequence is a rise in data
breaches for businesses and ac
count takeovers for consumers.
A study by Javelin Strategy &
Research discovered that not
only are account takeovers
growing, they also have a
higher risk of financial loss.
4. Millennials are now the
most common target for iden
tity theft.
Consumers between the ages
of 30 to 39 made up the larg
est share of reported identity
theft victims in 2020, and they
remain the most common re
porters of identity theft so far
this year as well.
5. 23,651 identity theft inci
dents affected people below the
age of 19.
Unfortunately, children
aren’t safe from identity theft,
and it often takes longer to
recognize identity theft has
occurred when victims are
young. Some thieves may even
get away with the scheme for
years before they’re caught, so
it's never too early to monitor a
credit report.
6. Social media users are
30% more likely to fall victim
to identity theft.
Thieves can learn tons of
valuable information about
their potential victims just by
glancing at social media. Even
taking a Facebook quiz can
increase your exposure to iden
tity theft by collecting informa
tion that helps thieves hack into
your accounts. Plus, thieves
frequently make contact with
victims through social media.
7. Most consumers under
estimate their risk for identity
theft.
An Experian survey discov
ered most consumers don’t re
ally believe they’re at risk for
identity theft. Consumers don’t
fully grasp the size of their
digital footprint. Others feel
poor credit makes them unat
tractive to thieves. In reality,
sharing personal information
on social media, using a public
wi-h network and even sharing
login information with friends
and family can increase your
chances of falling victim.
8. Identity theft has lasting
emotional effects on victims.
Identity theft takes a major
toll on victims’ mental health.
Repairing accounts,requesting
BCPS hosts Farmer’s
town hall meeting
The Burke County Public
School’s School Nutrition
Program is hosting its Annual
Feed My School Event. This
year’s event will be held at the
Teaching and Learning Cen
ter, located at Burke County
High School as well as at the
Waynesboro Primary School.
BCPS will also host a
Farmer’s Town Hall Meet
ing October 15 10:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m., at the Teaching and
Learning Center, where local
farmers will come together to
talk about farming issues in
today’s environment. Discus
sion topics include, farm labor
challenges, environmental
regulations impacting farming
and Farm Bill 2023.
Agriculture Commissioner
Gary Black, Congressman
Rick Allen, and Senators Ra
phael Wamock’s and Jon Os-
soff s staff will be located at a
table at the front of the room
where they will be able to hear
questions from the farmers.
Some of the farmers presently
supply food to the BCPS Nu
trition Program while others
will be representative of the
production of peanuts, cotton,
cattle, dairy, and soybeans on
a larger scale.
After the 60-minute town
hall meeting, the Ag Commis
sioner, Congressman, and their
staff will be given the opportu
nity to venture to Waynesboro
Primary School to see the
School Nutrition Program in
action. They will observe a
Charlie Cart Cooking Program
demonstration and enjoy a
local Farm to School lunch
prepared by the school nutri
tion staff.
refunds and enhancing privacy
safeguards can cause stress, fa
tigue and even depression. The
emotional effects can impact
work, school and relationships,
and past victims are more
likely to experience identity
theft again.
Identity theft is a major risk
to anyone with a paper trail
or a digital footprint. In other
words, everyone has some lev
el of risk. Fortunately, there’s a
lot you can do to protect your
self. Ensure you practice good
digital hygiene by following
BBB's guide to data privacy.
Kelvin Collins is president
& CEO of the Better Business
Bureau serving the Fall Line
Corridor.
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