Editing Identity theft (section)

== Spread and impact ==
{{Update | section|date=September 2023}}
Surveys in the US from 2003 to 2006 showed a decrease in the total number of identity fraud victims and a decrease in the total value of identity fraud from US$47.6 billion in 2003 to $15.6 billion in 2006.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}} The average fraud per person decreased from $4,789 in 2003 to $1,882 in 2006. A Microsoft report shows that this drop is due to statistical problems with the methodology, that such survey-based estimates are "hopelessly flawed" and exaggerate the true losses by orders of magnitude.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://research.microsoft.com/pubs/149886/SexLiesandCybercrimeSurveys.pdf |title=Sex, Lies and Cybercrime Surveys |publisher=Microsoft |date=15 June 2011 |access-date=11 March 2015}}</ref>

The 2003 survey from the Identity Theft Resource Center<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.idtheftcenter.org/|title=Home Page|website=ITRC|accessdate=25 December 2023}}</ref> found that:
* Only 15% of victims find out about the theft through proactive action taken by a business
* The average time spent by victims resolving the problem is about 330 hours
* 73% of respondents indicated the crime involved the thief acquiring a credit card
In a widely publicized account,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.privacyrights.org/cases/victim9.htm |title=Verbal Testimony by Michelle Brown |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120921/http://www.privacyrights.org/cases/victim9.htm |archive-date=21 September 2012 }}, July 2000, U.S. Senate Committee Hearing on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism and Government Information{{spaced ndash}}"Identity Theft: How to Protect and Restore Your Good Name"</ref> Michelle Brown, a victim of identity fraud, testified before a U.S. Senate Committee Hearing on Identity Theft. Ms. Brown testified that: "over a year and a half from January 1998 through July 1999, one individual impersonated me to procure over $50,000 in goods and services. Not only did she damage my credit, but she escalated her crimes to a level that I never truly expected: she engaged in drug trafficking. The crime resulted in my erroneous arrest record, a warrant out for my arrest, and eventually, a prison record when she was booked under my name as an inmate in the Chicago Federal Prison."

In [[Australia]], identity theft was estimated to be worth between A$1billion and A$4 billion per annum in 2001.<ref>[http://www.acpr.gov.au/research_idcrime.asp Identity Crime Research and Coordination] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230021614/http://www.acpr.gov.au/research_idcrime.asp |date=30 December 2005 }}, Australasian Center for Policing Research. Retrieved 30 June 2006.</ref>

In the United Kingdom, the Home Office reported that identity fraud costs the UK economy £1.2 billion annually<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.identitytheft.org.uk/ |title=What is Identity theft? |author=Home Office |date=26 May 2004 |publisher=identitytheft.co.uk |access-date=27 September 2010 |author-link=Home Office }}</ref> (experts believe that the real figure could be much higher)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bestidprotection.com/guides/10-ways-to-prevent-identity-theft/ |title=Free help, tips and advice on avoiding and dealing with Identity Theft |website=bestidprotection.com|date=9 February 2022 }}</ref> although privacy groups object to the validity of these numbers, arguing that they are being used by the government to push for introduction of [[British national identity card|national ID cards]]. Confusion over exactly what constitutes identity theft has led to claims that statistics may be exaggerated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2005/11/identity_theft.html |title=Identity Theft Over-Reported |author=Bruce Schneier |access-date=30 June 2006 |author-link=Bruce Schneier }}</ref>
An extensively reported<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13726085 |title=Hi-tech crime and sexual partner surveys 'biased' |date= 10 June 2011|publisher= BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/21532263 |title=Measuring the black web  |date= 15 October 2011|newspaper= The Economist}}</ref>  study from Microsoft Research<ref>{{cite web |url=http://research.microsoft.com/pubs/149886/SexLiesandCybercrimeSurveys.pdf |title=Sex, Lies and Cybercrime Surveys |first1=D. |last1=Florencio |first2=C. |last2=Herley |date=June 2011 |publisher= Proc. WEIS}}</ref> in 2011 finds that estimates of identity theft losses contain enormous exaggerations, writing that surveys "are so compromised and biased that no faith whatever can be placed in their findings."