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Washington – About 3.6 million U.S. households reported they were victimized by identity theft during a six-month period in 2004, according to a new Justice Department study.
The victims, representing 3 percent of American households, estimated they lost a total of $3.2 billion in that period. Some losses may have been reimbursed by insurance, a bank or a credit card company, the study said.
The survey is the first time the agency has looked at the scope of identity theft. The agency is now regularly collecting the data as part of its ongoing national crime victimization survey.
The most common form of identity theft was the unauthorized use of credit cards.
