DOJ: Identity Theft Stats 2004

U.S. Department of Justice: Identity Theft, 2004

These stats astounded me. Especially this:

"3 in 10 households experiencing any type of identity theft discovered it by missing money or noticing unfamiliar charges on an account; almost 1 in 4 were contacted by a credit bureau."

That's 3 out of 10!!!

Here is a quick customized Google Maps webpage showing the areas in Texas where households are most at risk: http://gis.uta.edu/arcmap2gmap/samples/idtheft.html. The map shows areas that have a high concentration of at-risk households as determined by the report:

• Income above $75,000
• Urban area
• Householder age 18 - 24

Red polygons are those areas that meet all 3 requirements listed above. Green polygons are urban areas where the median income is higher than $75,000. Blue polygons are urban areas where there is a large concentration of households headed by those in ages 18 - 24. Red pushpins are provided for the areas most at risk.

Of course, this map was generated using ArcMap2GMap.