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The US Federal Trade Commission received 1.4 million reports of identity theft last year, double the number from 2019
The number of reported cases of identity theft in the United States doubled in 2020 year-on-year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has said. In a blogpost marking the start of Identity Theft Awareness Week, the FTC said that it received approximately 1.4 million reports of identity theft last year. The surge in cases is mainly driven by cybercriminals targeting people who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“2020’s biggest surge in identity theft reports to the FTC related to the nationwide dip in employment. After the government expanded unemployment benefits to people left jobless by the pandemic, cybercriminals filed unemployment claims using other people’s personal information,” said Seena Gressin, an attorney at the agency’s Division of Consumer & Business Education.
Updated: December 10, 2020 5:12 PM EST - Advertisement -
Published: December 10, 2020 3:24 PM EST
Updated: December 10, 2020 5:12 PM EST
The FTC 12 Days of Consumer Protection is a holiday series to help you save money and avoid scams.
Each day, they will cover a new topic from shopping online and bogus shipping notifications to temporary job scams and fake charities. They will give you practical information you can use every day and share with your family, friends, and community so they can be safe too.
This holiday season will look very different as we seek to spend (sometimes virtual) time with loved ones, while staying safe from COVID-19.