A few large-scale computer-based heists notwithstanding, identity theft remains chiefly a personal crime. Fully half of U.S. identity theft and the fraud resulting from it is committed by victims' family members, friends and neighbors, according to Javelin Strategy & Research's 2005 Identity Fraud Survey Report. "ID theft not only impacts individuals, but their employers as well," notes Thomas Chapman, chairman and chief executive officer of Equifax. "The process of cleaning up the damage caused by ID theft can lead to hours of lost productivity." Yet, ID theft also remains a mostly low-tech crime. Less than 12% of the identity information used fraudulendy was obtained online, the Javelin study indicates. More conventional methods — lost or stolen wallets, theft of paper mail, sticky-fingered family or friends — are not only far more common, accounting for upwards of 68% of ID thefts, but often result in higher losses than online ID crime.
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