The reason Visa has decided to open this program is that not requiring a signature on small transactions can increase the speed of checkout at retailers. The program has been used on a limited basis since 2003 and a Visa company spokesman said there was not an increase in identity thefts as a result of that implementation. That is why Visa believes an expansion of the program should not add to the identity theft problem.

Not everyone agrees though. The accounting firm of Sklar, Heyman & Co. has a fraud and financial forensics division. Jeffrey Sklar says that consumers are more vulnerable to identity theft when signatures are not required on purchases. Many retailers compare signatures on receipts to signatures on credit cards to validate the card user. In addition, another piece of ID is requested. This greatly reduces the opportunities for identity theft.

Mastercard has a similar program called Quick Payment Service Program. It has been in operation since 1991 and the list of retailers includes grocery stores and convenience markets and many others. The Quick Payment Service Program has a transaction limit of $15 to $50.

Both Visa and Mastercard reason that thieves are generally not going to steal goods they cannot resell. They odds are much greater of a theft at an electronics store then at a restaurant. But in an interesting twist, the Visa program does include electronic stores but the $25 limit should stop any major purchases as long as signatures and ID are required by the retailer.

Many households do not take the time to closely check their credit card statements. Consumers are especially lax when it comes to questioning small charges. It can take hours to dispute a charge and a small questionable charge is simply not worth the trouble of disputing. In addition, one spouse may assume the other spouse made the charge.

The founder of the Identity Theft Resource Center located in San Diego is Linda Foley. She says the Visa and Mastercard programs make her nervous. She believes that once thieves learn the new Visa program is in place there will be an increase in the number of small identity theft cases.

Consumers need to be very careful when using their credit or debit cards. For example, in the case of debit cards it is important to make sure no one can see the PIN number entered. It is so easy to become an identity theft victim when someone can see the PIN number you enter. Some people leave their receipts behind at places like convenience stores too. If the account number is not hidden on the receipt, it is easy for a thief to use that account number and PIN. It is wise to always take your receipt with you even if you don’t want it and then shred it at home.

Time will tell if the Visa No Signature Required Program will be successful.

Today, not blogging or networking is the exception.

Just how broad an internet presence do you need? And if you’re in the slow lane, how can you catch up without compromising your privacy or safety? We’ll explore what having and maintaining an online identity means…and what can actually happen if you don’t keep up with web networking.

Getting to Know You…Even if You Are You

It may surprise you to know that whether or not you blog, belong to a network site like Facebook or Twitter, or even regularly send emails to family and friends, your name may already be on the world wide web.

The company you work for may list you as Employee of the Month, for example, or a distant associate may recall an anecdote that involved you in some way, and have blogged about it.

A quick test is to Google your own name. If you have a common first and last name, include your middle initial, or one other piece of information, such as your company or home town. Whether or not you choose to network, connections are being made all around you daily…and will eventually include you.

How Not Networking Can Backfire

Unfortunately, leaving your online identity wide open is as good as an invitation for online thieves to snatch it up.

There are a variety of reasons con artists may pose as other people online. Simply creating a false identity from scratch doesn’t have as much validity as a name that can be verified in other places on the web. And a thief who has found you knows he can “prove” himself by handing over links that really do include you as proof that he or she is a “real person”.

Eventually, it’s all bound to break down, leaving your name out there for all time as a person with a bad reputation…even though you didn’t do a thing wrong.

Can Presence and Privacy Coexist?

I it all seems a little unfair, remember that progress always comes with a price. What about privacy? you may be wondering (and rightly so).

Actually, even those who do regularly communicate along a network value their privacy. Though most of us, as human beings, like to make connections with others, we naturally want control over what—and how much—we share.

If you choose to join a networking site, choose one with plenty of privacy options. You can often “hide” information if you wish, or share it only with people on your Friends list. Be careful with photos, or don’t post any at all; the choice is up to you. Hide your last name and/or town as well.

At the same time, make sure your real identity is an internet presence in some form. For example, Linkedin.com is an excellent choice for creating an online identity as only your professional information is asked for. Your wife’s and children’s names, your town, and what you ate for breakfast aren’t expected from you–just the (probably already searchable) facts.

You may also wish to periodically look up your name via the search engine of your choice (or choose more than one, though generally, results overlap). If anything fishy comes up, you can attempt to correct the situation before it gets out of hand.

Above all, be responsible about what information you share. Compromising nostalgia pictures of your high school senior class trip may wind up in your children’s (or employer’s, your minister’s or a current beau’s) hands eventually. Even if you later delete information or an entire account, if it has existed in the past, the information may have already been gathered and saved for a variety of reasons by people you don’t even know.

As with anything else on the internet, watch what you post and what other people post about you—and you’ll find your experience not only more satisfying, but more safe.

But researchers at England’s University of Cambridge say the feature could make it easier than ever to target individuals for ID theft.

In a recently published paper, the UK-based researchers showed how they had developed a software tool to target Facebook users in ways you might never think of…but which could put the individual’s online safety in jeopardy.

Even Limited Information May Reveal Too Much

Joseph Bonneau, Jonathan Anderson, Ross Anderson and Frank Stajano of Cambridge University’s Computer Laboratory outlined how web spiders could go back again and again to pull the identities of a Facebook user’s friends. A software program could then easily make inferences about the user’s associations.

This could lead to targeted phishing scams, reports claim.

According to Mr. Bonneau, marketers look for “the best connected” individuals to target for their campaigns, as these popular network users may be able to influence others.

However, the data could also be used by criminals whose intent, too, is to make a buck…but through theft.

“You could do targeted phishing attacks if you knew people’s (Facebook) friends and claim (sic) to be their friend,” Bonneau pointed out.

Facebook Says: Change the Settings

Facebook representatives said there may be less danger than is being claimed, particularly since privacy settings can be changed by the user.

Facebook’s chief privacy officer Chris Kelly pointed out that the search feature is meant to help users by allowing each user to control his or her own privacy settings. A Facebook user can leave certain data accessible, but only a limited amount if he or she chooses.

“Changes as to the presence or content of a public search listing may be made easily by any user on the privacy settings page,” Mr. Kelly pointed out.

But Mr. Bonneau argued that many users don’t even know there’s an option. “(Facebook users) think it’s just their friends who can see their data” most of the time, he claimed.

Facebook users can opt out of the public listings feature if they’d like to remain hidden from non-Facebook users, an option that may be more protective in the long run.

A full copy of the Cambridge University study can be found here.

The Tennessean reported last week that Nashville resident Steven Gilmore was arrested when he attempted to sell a flash drive—a portable storage device—to an undercover agent. The drive was filled with Social Security and bank account numbers, the Tennessean reported.

Gilmore faces charges of identity theft, aggravated identity theft and access device fraud.

Feds Tracked Gilmore for 16 Months

Gilmore had been under suspicion of illegal activities since December of 2007, when a complaint of fraudulent use of a credit card led officials to Anthony Michael Atkins, who had been convicted of access device fraud in 2005.

Atkins told authorities that he had purchased personal information numbers from Gilmore in the past in order to open fake identities on auction site eBay.

It would take 16 more months for Gilmore to be trapped by his own greed…by unknowingly trying to sell his stolen goods to a secret agent.

He Used His Jobs to Gain Access

In a move that’s being seen more and more in the world of identity theft, Gilmore had been using databases through several child support services-related jobs in order to obtain the personal information of a number of unknowing victims.

Legal records show that Gilmore’s job at child support services contractor Policy Studies was terminated on Jan. 8. But he still had some 1,500 records in his possession at that time, according to reports.

Prior to working at Policy Studies, Gilmore was employed by the Cookeville district attorney’s office in its child support position. He also applied with Wilson County for a similar job.

Caught in the Act…at Last

Because of Atkins’ assertion that Gilmore had sold him stolen identity information, Secret Services began tracking Gilmore, looking for evidence.

Atkins had told authorities that he asked Gilmore for a name similar to his own in order that Atkins might apply for a job at community-based AIDS service association Nashville Cares. Atkins claimed that Gilmore responded by sending him various identities, charging $2-5 each.

Gilmore was finally busted when he attempted to sell personal information to an undercover agent. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville, three separate attempted transactions were tracked by law agents.

ID Theft “Getting to Be a Big Problem”

Due to his former jobs, Gilmore may have accessed information on individuals not only in Tennessee but in different states, reports say.

According to Ed Yarbrough, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, individuals whose information had been lifted by Gilmore have been alerted and “will be protected”.

“The idea of identity theft is getting to be a big problem,” Yarbrough noted. “It’s one of the reasons we’re pursuing this.”

It may be prudent to note, however, that Gilmore was in action with his criminal activities for well over a year before being arrested…and considering his apparent ease with the process, may have been doing so even earlier.

Be smart; protect yourself. Shred unwanted documents, request free credit reports annually and sign up with a reputable credit monitoring/protection service. Don’t wait for police to receive the tip that might never come…or could come after you’ve already been made a victim.

Now, one Indiana resident has found himself not only a victim of an ID breach…but of the consequences of another crime the thief allegedly committed.

In a horror story of ID theft reaching new levels, Jeff Goldsmith of Elkhart was arrested in his own home Feb. 25 for abusing “his” girlfriend’s six-year-old child badly enough to put the boy in the hospital.

It took many repetitions of his innocence for the shocked Goldsmith to convince the police to look into the matter further. Because in reality, the person who committed the heinous crime was a thief who had stolen and was currently using Goldsmith’s name and Social Security number.

In fact, Goldsmith doesn’t have a six-year-old son…and hasn’t even visited the city where the boy lives since 2007, the ID theft victim has insisted.

He Did All the Right Things

Goldsmith was doubly dismayed at the gaffe because he thought he was protected from identity theft. He had been monitoring his credit reports and says he had ID theft insurance.

But it was may not have been right type or enough coverage (reports don’t give specifics of Goldsmith’s anti-ID theft plan), because in February, Goldsmith found himself being taken from his home to the police station despite protestations to his innocence.

Goldsmith is described as a model citizen and has told reporters that he’s led a very average, on-the-level life. He has no “girlfriend”—he has been married for 20 years—and hasn’t visited Ft. Wayne, the site of the alleged abuse, in more than two years, Goldsmith said. (At that time, he was visiting a zoo with is grandson.) He has never met the boy described as an abuse victim or his mother.

“I even register my dog. I don’t speed or anything,” Goldsmith is reported to have said upon his mistaken arrest. “I can’t figure out why they’d be coming to arrest me, for God’s sake.”

Warning Signs

Perhaps the worst part of the entire debacle is that Goldsmith had some warning signs that his identity might be in jeopardy.

Prior to the arrest, he had received two bills that clearly weren’t his—a phone bill and an insurance bill for a vehicle he didn’t own—and had cleared the issue up with the companies. He then took out identity theft insurance, reports say.

Yet the criminal snuck away with Goldsmith’s good name, then allegedly proceeded to abuse the son of his girlfriend, someone who, like the criminal and the youngster, Goldsmith had never met in his life.

The mother of the actual victim, upon viewing Goldsmith, said that he definitely isn’t the man who is said to have beaten her son. The real suspect remains unidentitfied.

Worse Than Standard ID Theft

Identity theft is nothing new, but the mistreatment of a child resulting in hospitalization constitutes a felony. Such a threat to innocent victims of ID theft makes the misdeed more ominous than ever.

Law officials connected with the case agreed that this particular type of mistaken identity is a frightening sign of what identity theft can lead to. “Who wants to put an innocent person in jail?” Gabe Furnish, the officer in charge of Goldsmith’s case, commented.

Particularly with warning signs such as the clear signals Goldsmith had received, it is critical to find a reputable credit monitoring and anti-ID theft company which monitors a variety of activities and gives immediate alerts.

Be sure to look over prospective companies carefully and to compare to discover which is right for you and offers the best possible protection. Don’t be the next victim—make sure you’re protected from criminals who don’t stop at just theft.

Comparing sixteen anti-ID theft services, the CFA report reveals that some may have misstated information during the time period they were studied (Sept. 2008-Feb. 2009) and lists steps that be taken independently, at no cost to the consumer.

At the same time, the report notes the enormity of the problem of identity theft and acknowledges that some services do much more than simple credit monitoring, making them a good choice for some consumers.

Let’s take a closer look at what credit monitoring programs can and can’t do so you can make the decision whether to be a credit protection maverick or rent a monitoring “posse” of your own.

A Time Commitment

So…should you or shouldn’t you? How big a problem is ID theft, anyway? And how much should you pay for protection…or is it better to take matters into your own hands?

To be realistic, the best candidate for an at-home, self generated protection program is organized, has relatively few financial accounts to keep track of and has enough time at his or her disposal to make routine, detailed checks of each, as well as checks of his medical records and online usage of his name.

He should also have a financial “cushion” to fall back on in the interim should identity theft occur. Keep in mind that resolving a case of ID theft in your favor could potentially involve legal fees depending upon what the crook attempts in your name.

For example, most credit cards offer reimbursement for some or all of monies spent fraudulently against the victim’s account. Banks, too, will typically investigate a question of fraud and may return the full amount to the account holder.

However, complex crimes or those that involve large chunks of money at a time can be more difficult to unravel.

For instance, a mortgage of $400,000 can’t simply be dismissed because the victim claims fraud; it must be proven in court (hence, the legal fees) and involve investigations of each step of the process (another legal matter).

And there have even been cases where innocent individuals were arrested due to another’s misdeeds in their name, another issue that could be costly, as well as emotionally devastating, to overturn in the court of law.

Out of Time

But perhaps the single most frequently cited reason for purchasing protection is the time and effort it can take to resolve identity theft issues on one’s own.

A recent FTC survey showed that the average ID theft cost the victim only $550 to resolve. However, it also involved a whopping 116 hours. That time was spent laboriously obtaining and copying documents, including police reports; travel; court dates and copying and forwarding court records.

And that’s on top of the time already routinely spent going over one’s accounts transaction by transaction at least monthly, checking utilities and medical records against the possibility of fraud, and sorting through internet search results (a service certain ID protection companies, such as TrustedID, offer) to see whether one’s name may be being misused during the prevention process—which, though an enormous step toward protection, can still sometimes fail.

Steps to Take

If you’ve decided to work independently to protect your own credit, do your homework. Find out how others have been successful—and where they’ve failed. Read as many articles as possible on ID and credit protection as you can and put together a solid plan that includes specific times during the month that you will gather receipts and double check transactions (write these on a calendar or have them pop up as reminders on your computer).

You’ll also want to be certain to order credit reports annually (these are free once a year) and immediately investigate any suspicious activity. Don’t forget to also check into any alternate names you may have or have had in the past (for example, a “Jr.” suffix or a maiden name or an Americanization of an ethnic name).

If you opt for a monthly or annual fee credit monitoring service, look for reasonable rates. Be absolutely certain of what services the program offers and what additional measures are in place, such as customer service and legal help.

Find out in advance how and when credit reports are requested by the monitoring service (since you’re entitled to only one a year from each reporting company, if the service has already requested one, the next you order will no longer be free).

Also be wary of free trials; read the fine print. Free trials can be fine, but not every credit monitoring service is reputable, and the CFA report notes that in the wake of rising ID theft reports, more and more such programs are popping up. Check the service’s history: how long has it been in business? What is its track record for prevention?

The right credit monitoring service is only as good as its own reputation—but the right pick can save you time, money and headaches. Remember, no ID protection company can offer an absolute guarantee that you’ll never become a victim, nor can your own efforts, no matter how painstaking, offer a similar guarantee. But you can significantly lower your chances of becoming a victim with the right steps. Start now…and be safer tomorrow.

And an occasional search on the internet to look for deliberate misuse of overuse of his name wouldn’t have hurt, either.

But the thought of taking such standard precautions never crossed LeGette’s mind.

And it’s not because he’s irresponsible or forgetful. It’s because Jake LeGette is only 11 years old.

Shocking News

When the enterprising Miami, FL preteen attempted to open a bank account as a depository for his chore earnings, he was surprised to find that credit had already been opened in his name—and misused badly enough that he was denied an account of his own..

Although he isn’t yet in high school, LeGette’s credit record is filled to overflowing with expenditures…and his mother Lori can only hope she’ll be able to clear his record so he can start fresh once he is old enough to apply for credit. In the meantime, she’s placed a freeze on his Social Security number so that no one else can use it.

Mom Fights to Clear Son’s Name

Lori LeGette was as shocked as anyone to hear the news that her son was a victim of ID fraud. Nevertheless, she went right to work attempting to clear up the messy matter. Lori claims her job as a police officer hasn’t helped much so far in fixing the problem.

According to ABC News, the bank told Jake LeGette that someone had used his Social Security number in order to open—and use—credit.

Lori LeGette told ABC News that a Florida-based woman had used Jake’s identity to purchase, among other things, a staggering nine vehicles in only four years.

The Implications for the LeGettes—and For Your Child

Why wasn’t fraud suspected due to the unusual number of expenditures in a short period of time?

Frighteningly, banks, car dealers and other companies and institutions may not have anywhere near the “lookout” we imagine they do for suspicious activity. Jake LeGette’s Social Security number was misused for four years before his own bank tried to put the brakes on by denying the real Jake an account.

Another point worth pondering is that had Jake not attempted to open a bank account at such a young age, he may not have known about the crimes and fraud against his name for a decade or even more from their beginning point.

In fact, stealing the identity of a child may be the next insidious step forward in the booming number of ID crimes that have increased year-on-year for close to a decade. Not only do children obviously have a clean credit slate, they also may have no knowledge of any wrongdoing for five years, ten years or even longer, giving the thief plenty of time to take the money and run.

And no one’s child is immune…not even the son of a police officer.

Using LifeLock to Protect Your Child

A few of the most forward-thinking ID protection and credit monitoring companies, such as Arizona-based LifeLock, have already recognized this frightening trend. LifeLock offers additional protection for children up to age 16 for just $25 a year.

LifeLock protects adults, too, taking a proactive approach in order to avoid the mess (and expense) of cleaning up credit that’s already been damaged by fraud.

And the risk to the user is low, since LifeLock also has a $1 million guarantee in the eventuality that a customer’s identity is breached. This means the company will spend up to $1 million to rectify the issues in any way possible, at no expense to the customer.

With ID fraud against children growing at a fast pace, it pays to protect your family. Do your homework on ID protection companies, including rates, guarantees/warranties and what’s covered under the service. The right credit monitoring company can make all the difference for you today…and for your child tomorrow.

But identity theft experts say ID defrauders are smarter than ever about getting what they want—even from savvy citizens.

Find out the steps identity thieves take to steal information…and your best defense against each one.

ID Thieves Know Their Target

Today’s “evolved” techno-thief has studied his target and knows exactly what to do to finagle information from a very targeted victim (for example, baby boomers, recent college graduates or single parents). The days of red-eyed hackers weeding through thousands of pieces of data in cyberspace seem to be gone, or at least dwindling—they’re being replaced with theft software (that’s right) that searches for a specific demographic.

That means phishy emails (where the defrauder poses as a legitimate entity in order to “fish” for information) aren’t as easy to detect. Crooks pose as credit card companies, your bank—even, amazingly, the IRS. And their hookups are developing email letterhead and official-looking software daily that looks more and more like the real thing.

YOUR BEST DEFENSE: Never…and we do mean never!…respond to an e-mail that states it needs your personal information, such as your date of birth, account number, Social Security number of your mother’s maiden name, even if the entity appears to be a company you do business with. Instead, look up the actual phone number and place a call to see whether the email is legitimate. Chances are it’s a fake (a bank or credit card company will never ask you to reveal highly personal information via e-mail).

If the company does say changes to your account need to be made, visit the office if it’s local and make your updates there rather than over the phone.

ID Thieves are Watching When You’re Not

Smart consumers tally their financial account transactions once a month, or whenever a statement arrives in the mail or is updated online.

It’s a wise move, but it may not be enough, identity theft experts say, because there’s no way to know if and when a thief may be sneaking a peak at your personal data. In the worst case scenario, a crook may have stolen your information and secured loans or made outrageous purchases in your name as many as 30 days or even more before you get wind of the problem.

YOUR BEST DEFENSE: Daily responsibilities, such as your job, keep you from being able to monitor your own credit and debit card transactions daily. On the other hand, that’s just what credit monitoring services do. And a credit monitoring service never sleeps on the job or misses a day of work.

We can’t stress this enough: get a great credit monitoring service on your side. Don’t spend a bundle; look for an economical and savvy program that suits your needs (you can start your search here for comparisons).

ID Spend Time Brushing Up on Their Skills

Your life is busy; you don’t have time to continuously stay one up on all the latest data on scams, data breaches, online thefts and the technical aspects of each. However, for an ID thief, that’s his (or her) job. Con artists, scammers and hackers spend many hours and a lot of energy on developing newer and more efficient ways to work their way into your wallet.

To make matters even more difficult, while some defrauders are worming their way around the internet, others fall back to “traditional” information theft methods…even dumpster diving for credit card offers or discarded medical bills.

YOUR BEST DEFENSE: Get educated. Know the various ways an ID thief may attempt to unlock the keys to your personal history and present. Combine practical safety measures with continuous credit monitoring, and your chances are better than ever of being one less mark on a defrauder’s victims list.

The information was compiled from the input of over 1500 ID theft victims. The survey results were released on Business Wire yesterday.

ITAC representatives said that victims who did know the source cited such examples as a lost or stolen wallet, theft by a friend or relative, computer-related crimes or data breaches, including those by employees.

Of known ID theft sources, friends, relatives and employees topped the list, at 26.5%.

Crimes are Becoming More Targeted

Criminals are honing their skills and becoming more specific about how and whom they target, according to experts. This makes tracing ID theft to a source tricky.

It could also mean increases in such crimes in the future.

“We may see these anonymous sources grow since criminals use stolen data as currency and are becoming more targeted and organized,” Michael Stanfield, chairman and CEO of Intersections Inc., told Business Wire. “Technology allows criminals to act anonymously to steal information off your computer with key logging programs, or to create new identities using bits of information from public records.”

This “long-distance” theft is the crime wave of the present and could grow even larger, ID theft experts are currently predicting.

Prevention Measures

Because source detection may be difficult and rectifying a case of false identity may be time-consuming and costly, prevention is key.

The ITAC told Business Wire that that identity protection should be a part of everyone’s routine.

“Your best bet is to treat your personal information as you do your personal safety—like buckling your seat belt,” said Anne Wallace, president of the ITAC. “Keep data in your home and workplace in a secure location, keep your anti-virus software, browser and operating system updated, and monitor your accounts online for unusual activity.”

Other Tips

Of course, some people already take those measures—and are ID theft victims nonetheless. We’d suggest adding the following to your identity protection game plan:

• Invest in a shredder. These can be found fairly inexpensively. Rifling through trash and recycling bins is still a common identity theft method.

• Invest in a quality credit monitoring protection program. Again, these are surprisingly economic. Do your homework and shop around for the best program; they differ quite a bit in what and how they monitor your data (for example, some programs scan the internet for overuse of your name in search engines).

• Order a copy of your credit report once a year and look it over thoroughly for any suspicious activity.

• NEVER give your PIN number to anyone, including a family member or trusted friend. Of the ID theft victims surveyed by the ITAC, the majority who were able traced the crime to someone they knew.

More info on the ITAC can be found at www.identitytheftassistance.org.

But respondents to a Nationwide Insurance survey said today’s difficult economy is making financial recovery following ID theft much harder than in the past.

Though credit card fraud is often reimbursed following an investigation, debit card theft may not always be, and loan fraud can involve legal fees beyond the victim’s means, the survey said.

With salary freezes, layoffs and fewer bonuses, an identity theft victim may be left without the resources to fight thefts made in his name. And this is on top of losses already incurred by the theft itself, making the financial impact even more devastating, experts say.

Four Hundred Respond to Survey

Columbus, OH-based Nationwide Insurance polled 400 adults across the U.S. last December to discover what impact identity theft could have (or has already had) on victims.

The telephone survey included 200 individuals who had been victims of identity theft in the past and spanned age, ethnicity and geographic categories, Nationwide representatives said.

The study revealed that many Americans predict difficulties in recovering from ID theft as a result of today’s economy. In fact, nearly half of the Nationwide poll respondents said they didn’t know whether they had enough money to recover from an ID theft event.

A Financial and Emotional Toll

Nationwide representatives said that previous polls had already shown that it takes an average of 81 hours to resolve a credit fraud issue. And of those, one in four cases remained unresolved after a year of trying. The process can be exhausting, representatives noted.

“Identity theft not only takes a financial toll on victims, but an emotional one as well,” said Nationwide chief privacy officer Kirk Herath. “Identity theft is the only crime where the victim is generally presumed guilty until he or she can presume their (sic) innocence.”

Around 10% of polled ID theft victims had missed payments due to the crime committed against them.

Caucasian Females May Be at Highest Risk

About nine million people are victims of identity theft a year, making this type of crime number one on the Federal Trade Commission’s list of complaints for eight years running, Nationwide said.

Of these, married white females ages 35-54 were the largest segment identified by the Nationwide survey as victims of ID fraud. The majority were full-time employees, married and college educated.

Other ID theft targets identified by the survey were individuals who are separated, divorced or make at least $75 thousand in income annually.

A Majority Would Take Matters into Their Own Hands

However, the average U.S. citizen is not likely to sit back and remain a victim, the poll showed.

Fifty-two percent of respondents said they would take matters into their own hands if they were to experience an identity related crime. And nine out of 10 people said they are already taking safety precautions against ID theft, including shredding documents and requesting and going over their credit reports and credit statements regularly.

More recommendations from Nationwide can be found at the bottom of this press release page.