Just in time for the “National Protect Your Identity Week” (PYIW), October 17 to 24, a new survey from Gallup shows two out of three Americans worry about identity theft.

According to Gallup's Crime survey, identity theft is the top-ranked crime concern of Americans, with two-thirds (66 percent) of U.S. adults saying that they worry “frequently” or “occasionally” about being victims of identity theft, the only crime a majority of Americans worry about at least occasionally. More specifically, 31 percent of Americans “worry frequently” about identity theft – the highest level for any crime rated in 2009 – while 35 percent “worry occasionally,” 18 percent “rarely worry,” and 15 percent – the lowest for any crime – “never worry” about it.

Gallup's Crime survey has measured Americans' fear of being victims of specific crimes for decades, with the question being updated annually as trends in crime change. “Terrorism” was added to the list in 2001, while 2009 marks the first year “identity theft” has been included. The survey asked respondents the follow question: “How often do you, yourself, worry about the following things – frequently, occasionally, rarely, or never?” The top five crimes receiving the highest percentage of “worried frequently or occasionally” answers were:

• Identity theft (66%);
• Having car stolen or broken into (47%);
• Home burglarized when you are not there (46%);
• Being a victim of terrorism (35%), and;
• Home burglarized when you are there (33%).

The survey also found that, while men and women equally worry about identity theft, people making less money were also less likely to say they worry frequently or occasionally about identity theft than those making higher amounts. Almost three-fourths (74 percent) of Americans in households earning more than $75,000 per year worry frequently or occasionally about identity theft, compared to 70 percent of households earning between $30,000 and $75,000 per year and only 54 percent of households earning less than $30,000 per year.

The results of Gallup's Crime survey were based on telephone interviews (on both land-line and cellular phones) with over 1,000 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted October 1-4, 2009. For PYIW, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) has partnered with the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) to provide consumers with identity theft education.

MyBackgroundCheck.com provides “personal” background checks that individuals perform on themselves to ensure that their personal information is current, accurate, and secure from identity theft. To learn how personal background checks can help prevent identity theft, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. Follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com