Many Americans Committing Identity Theft
A recent report by ID Analytics found that approximately 16 percent of Americans have deliberately committed some form of identity manipulation themselves.
With nearly 45 million Americans taking part in such illegal activity, it is estimated that eight million people currently use two or more Social Security numbers, while another 10 million mix some of their own information with their spouse's. Another 16 million consumers use multiple birth dates when compiling information. Those people who used different names, such as nicknames, or had typos, were not included in the information.
The worst areas in the U.S. for such activity are Lansing, Flint, and Detroit, Michigan, as well as Dallas, and Houston, Texas.
This information may suggest that the chances of identity manipulation are elevated. Consumers who commit such a crime in order to counter credit card debt, or for other related reasons, may be at a high risk of being caught and getting into significant legal trouble. Those who need debt relief may want to instead work through the proper legal channels to fix their credit rating.