Credit Card Debt
ID theft a concern for credit card users
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Brafton
As a result, people would naturally want to avoid having their information stolen. A recent survey shows that consumers are more likely to be worried about their credit card information being stolen in a scenario where their card is taken out of their sight to complete a transaction.
Of respondents to the Harris Interactive poll, 45 percent of adults said they feel most at risk for identity theft when their credit cards are taken away from them to make a purchase. In contrast, 21 percent of respondents said they felt at risk when the transaction occurs in their presence.
"People need to be vigilant in protecting themselves against identity theft," said Howard Dvorkin founder of the nonprofit Consolidated Credit Counseling Services Inc. and author of Credit Hell: How to Dig Out of Debt. "Ten million Americans reported being victims of identity theft in 2008. The number of victims has increased year after year, and this is definitely a crime that is not going away."
Recently, a man pleaded guilty in an identity theft case that included Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke among its victims. The Associated Press reported that Darnell Zanders, 49, of Dolton, Illinois, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18.
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