Bankrate, a consumer financial services company, recently published the results of a survey on attitudes toward money and identity theft. Despite high-profile data breaches in recent years, the survey finds that Americans report feeling less fearful about identity theft than they did previously.
According to the survey, 54 percent of respondents say they worry about identity theft, a decline from 80 percent in Bankrate’s 2008 survey. Conversely, the share of people who express little or no concern has grown: 43 percent now report minimal fear, compared with only 19 percent in 2008. At the same time, the survey indicates that exposure to identity theft remains significant—46 percent of those polled say they know someone who has been affected, up from 34 percent in 2008.
Experts recommend practical steps to reduce the risk of identity theft. Do not respond to unsolicited emails or phone calls requesting account numbers or other sensitive financial data. Consider enrolling in a fraud-monitoring service and create strong, unique passwords that mix upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Other common protective habits reported by Americans include shredding documents that contain personal information, checking credit reports regularly, avoiding unsecured public Wi‑Fi networks when conducting financial transactions, and placing a credit freeze if identity theft is suspected or likely.
The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International for Bankrate.