Washington: One In Nine Households Victims Of Identity Theft In 2005
Wednesday, June 28th, 2006 Liability PropertyA new white paper measuring the impact of identity theft in the state of Washington released Friday, June 23 by Identity Theft 911 has exposed the true extent of the problem that is fast becoming the country’s leading crime. Key findings of the Washington study include: Identity theft in Washington increased by 49.2 percent from 2002 through 2005. Nationwide, Washington ranked 7th per capita for identity theft in 2005. An estimated 268,000 Washington residents were victimized in 2005. Victim rates by city were: Tacoma, 8.6 percent; Vancouver and Everett, 8.0 percent; Spokane, 6.9 percent; and Seattle, 5.9 percent. Identity theft cost Washington enterprises and residents $1.75 billion and more than 7 million hours in resolution time during 2005. Nearly one Washington household in nine was victimized in 2005. Household victimization rates soared in Tacoma, 22.3 percent; Vancouver, 21.4 percent; and Everett, 21.3 percent. Identity theft losses in Washington are 3.3 times higher than aggregate losses from burglary, larceny theft, and motor vehicle theft. Identity theft losses in Vancouver are 5.6 times greater than total property crimes.
