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During the pandemic, many smaller but no less overwhelming crises have been occurring simultaneously. One of those is identity theft, which has increased in the past year. For victims, the fallout from having their identities stolen while they coped with other challenges has been devastating, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC).
The nonprofit organization, which seeks to help victims and regularly reports on trends and issues, noted a spike this past year in the fallout and the accompanying feelings of worry, anger, and fear. Because of identity fraud, 67% of those who contacted the ITRC said they could not pay their monthly bills, and 83% couldn’t rent an apartment or find housing.
The ITRC compiled results from 63 people who had identity-theft issues directly related to COVID-19 scams. Of those, 40% couldn’t pay their regular bills. Further complicating things, identity theft stood in the way of many being paid what they were owed, with 24% unable to receive unemployment benefits; 21% had their stimulus payments stolen. The most alarming statistic is that 8% of victims experienced suicidal ideation, which they had not experienced before they were victimized.
The only good news is that in such a year, less stigma is associated with being the victim of identity fraud. As compared to last year, victims reported fewer related issues, including arguments, loss of trust, and lack of support, with their families and friends. There’s even been some improvement with victims’ perception of how satisfied they are with the response of credit bureaus. On the negative side, victims are less satisfied with the response of financial institutions and law enforcement.
Prevention is better than cure, they say, so you may want to read up on ten essential steps to protect your identity online.
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