California identity theft protection guide: facts, trends and resources

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March 12th, 2008 - Posted by Joe

As the most populous state in the Union, California is a very large target for identity thieves. 17.1% of the nearly 256,000 identity theft complaints made to the Federal trade Commission (FTC) in 2007 came from Californians. This is the most total identity theft related complaints of any state and second only to Arizona in complaints per hundred thousand residents.

We have compiled a list a list of identity theft facts, trends and resources for Californians. If you know of any other resources, have additional information to add or simply want to give us some feedback, please leave a comment below.

California Identity Theft Facts and Trends:

• California has the second highest rate of identity theft complaints in the country with 120.1 identity theft related complaints per hundred thousand residents, or 43,892 total identity theft related complaints, reported in 2007. Arizona is first with 137.1 identity theft complaints per hundred thousand residents.
• Of the top 50 cities with the highest rates of identity theft related complaints in 2007 fifteen were located in California. Five California cities, Napa, Madera, Vallejo, Yuba City and Bakersfield, made the top 20 of that same list.
• Identity theft related complaints are up 30% over the last five years (2002-2007) in California.
• The most common identity theft crime in California is credit card fraud which accounted for 23% of all identity theft related crimes in California in 2007.
• The fastest growing identity theft related crime in California is employment fraud, which is up 53% over the last five years (2002-2007). The most common form of employment fraud is a criminal using a stolen Social Security number in order to obtain a job in the United States.

California Identity Theft Protection and Recovery Resources:

The state Government of California offers a wealth of information through their various websites. Here are a few of the best resources we found for Californians that are interested in learning more about how to protect their identities or victims that are looking for information on what next steps to take in recovering from identity theft.

• California Office of Privacy Protection Identity Theft Website
• How to use the California Identity Theft Registry
• California Attorney Tips for Identity Theft Victims
• California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Identity Theft Protection and Recovery Guide
• California Identity Theft Laws from PrivacyRights.org

National Identity Theft Protection and Recovery Resources:

There are several excellent identity theft protection and recovery resources available from the Federal Government and national non-profit organizations. NextAdvisor.com has also created several helpful guides for consumers looking for more information on identity theft protection.

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Identity Theft Website
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Identity Theft Victim Online Complaint Form
• United States Postal Service (USPS) Identity Theft Tips and Resources
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Active Duty Military Identity Theft Protection Guide
• Child Identity Theft Protection Guide from NextAdvisor.com
• Guide to Identity Theft Protection Services from NextAdvisor.com