Arizona identity theft protection guide: facts, trends and resources

Posted by Joe on March 14th, 2008

This is our third in a series of State Identity Theft Protection Guides.

Arizona has the dubious distinction of having more identity theft complaints per hundred thousand residents than any other state in the Union at 137.1. Additionally, six cities in Arizona made the top 50 list of cities with the most identity theft complaints in the Unites States. 3.4% of the nearly 256,000 identity theft complaints made to the Federal trade Commission (FTC) in 2007 came from Arizona residents.

We have compiled a list a list of identity theft facts, trends and resources for Arizona residents. 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.

Arizona Identity Theft Facts and Trends:

• There were 8,688 identity theft complaints in Arizona in 2007 which is up 48% from 2002.
• Arizona has the highest rate of identity theft complaints of any state with 137.1 identity theft complaints per hundred thousand residents.
• Six Arizona cities made it to the top 50 list of most identity theft complaints in the United States including Flagstaff (9), Lake Havasu (13), Yuma (15), Prescott (17), Sierra Vista (20), Phoenix (29) and Tucson (34).
• There were 3,122 employment fraud identity theft complaints in Arizona which makes it the largest and fastest growing segment of identity theft complaints in the state. Employment fraud in Arizona is up 71% from 2002-2007.

Arizona Identity Theft Protection and Recovery Resources:

Both State and Local Governments in Arizona provide a variety of very helpful identity theft prevention and recovery resources. Here are some of the most informative identity theft resources for Arizonians.

• State of Arizona Crime Victims Service AZVICTIMS Identity Theft Page
• Arizona Attorney General Stop Identity Theft Guide
• State of Arizona Identity Theft Legislation
• Maricopa County Attorney's Office Identity Theft Website

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

• California identity theft protection guide: facts, trends and resources
• Texas identity theft protection guide: facts, trends and resources
• Napa, California named worst town for identity theft
• NextAdvisor.com launches state specific identity theft protection guides
• Reader Question: Can identity theft really be prevented?