How big of a problem can it be?
What percentage of Americans do you think have been impacted by it? If you're like most people, whatever number you selected probably underestimated its impact. In a recent survey conducted by nCipher, it was discovered that nearly 29 percent (17.6 percent) of respondents admitted that their identities had been stolen.
As a percentage, that may not seem like all that much, although it's certainly disturbing. When you consider that the United States is home to some 280 million adults, taking 17.6 percent of that yields the depressingly large number of 49,000,000 breaches in homes across America.
Compare that figure to the 2017 estimate of 16.7 million instances of identity theft, and the rampant growth of this type of crime suddenly comes into striking and dismaying focus. If that wasn't bad enough, a further 16.5 percent of survey respondents said that they had no idea whether they'd had their identity stolen or not.
It's certainly not fair to conclude that all of the people in this group have had their identities stolen and simply aren't aware of it. The simple fact that such a large group of people seems to have little to no awareness of their digital footprint and who might have access to it is beyond disturbing.
The two biggest takeaways from the survey are these
One: Identity theft is a rapidly growing crime that impacts tens of millions of Americans and it's growing more common by the day.
Two: A shocking percentage of people have almost no awareness about how secure their digital footprint is, which means they have no real understanding of how to protect themselves from identity theft.
Our perspective
Given the rapid growth in this type of crime, it's fair to say that sooner or later, most of the people in the second statistic will wind up as part of the first. Make sure you're not in either group!
The author
Thanks for reading this short post. For more tips on thriving with small business technology, check out the other blog posts at DWPia Blogs. I am also available at dwpia on LinkedIn, at dwpia on Facebook, and @dwpia on Twitter.
Denis S Wilson
I am President and Principal Consultant for DWP Information Architects: specializing in managed IT support for smaller healthcare practices, clinics, insurance companies, and nonprofit companies in Ventura County and San Fernando Valley. And have created cost-effective IT solutions, for over 20 years, specializing in cybersecurity and regulatory compliance.
I am also a published author and speaker, working extensively with organizations that include: the State of California, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Small Business Administration (SBA), SCORE, Women's Business Centers, and Small Business Development Centers. As well as providing small business technology education programs through business and professional associations.
Contact me if you would like me to speak at your meeting.
Meanwhile, check out this report
Executive Report: 10 Hidden IT Risks That Might Threaten Your Business
