Survey: 2 of 5 Identity Theft Victims Know Source of Crime

Two out of five identity theft victims surveyed by the Identity Theft Assistance Center (ITAC) know how their personal data was stolen, providing valuable insight about how identity theft occurs.

"This information is important because the more we know about the sources of identity theft the more successful we all will be in fighting this crime," says ITAC Executive Director Anne Wallace. "These documented cases provide real world perspective on identity theft."

ITAC surveyed 275 identity theft victims who used the ITAC's free service over a one-month period. Of the 275 cases, 160 consumers (58%) did not know the source of their identity theft. Another 115 consumers (42%) did know how their information was compromised. The 115 consumers attributed their identity theft to the following sources:

-- Friends, relatives, in-home employees 26 cases 22.61%
-- Computer hacker/virus/phishing 25 cases 21.74%
-- Mail (stolen or fraudulent address change) 24 cases 20.87%
-- Lost/stolen wallet, checkbook or credit card 15 cases 13.04%
-- Corrupt business or employee 12 cases 10.43%
-- Data breach 8 cases 6.96%
-- House burglarized 4 cases 3.48%
-- Instant credit 1 case 0.87%

Getting accurate information about the sources of identity theft is difficult because identity theft -- the opening of a fraudulent new account or account takeover -- is often confused with other types of fraud, like the unauthorized use of a credit card, accoding to ITAC.

ITAC says it is in a unique position to gatherdata about identity theft because it deals in verified cases of identity theft. The companies that belong to ITAC refer customers to ITAC once thefraud is resolved at the member company. ITAC then helps the customer identify other fraudulent accounts and assists in restoring their financial identity.


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Counter Height Can Improve Biometric Fingerprint Capture

Once a tool primarily used by law enforcement, biometric technologies such as fingerprint readers increasingly are being used by governments and private industry for a personal ID that can't easily be forged or stolen. But, despite their increased use, little attention has been paid to the human-system interaction that these technologies require. Biometrics are a fast-growing technology area.

With fingerprint scanners and other imaging devices, for example, user behavior can affect both the quality of the image and the time required to capture it. At present there are no guidelines for using biometric hardware and software that could lead to improved usability and interaction techniques.

As part of its role under the USA PATRIOT Act, researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted a study examining the effect of the work surface height of a fingerprint sensor on the quality and the time required to collect prints. NIST researchers collected five types of fingerprint images from 75 NIST employees, ranging in age from 17 to 67.

Images were collected from a "left slap"; (all fingers on the left hand except for the thumb); a "right slap"; a left or right thumb; and both thumbs. Work surface heights varied from 26 inches (660 millimeters) to 42 inches (1,067 millimeters). The fingerprint scanner used in the study had a height of 6 inches (152 millimeters)--the expected height of the next generation of fingerprint scanners to be used in many federal government applications.

The researchers found that participants performed fastest using a work surface height of 36 inches (914 millimeters); and a height of 26 inches (660 millimeters) produced the highest image quality. Participants preferred a work surface height of 32 or 36 inch (813 or 914 millimeters); the 42 inch height was most uncomfortable.

Seventy-six percent of the biometric participants preferred starting with their right hands, which also made the process faster. Biometric capture quality dropped dramatically when thumbprints were taken simultaneously rather than one at a time, the researchers say.


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