Here’s another example of how statistics can lie (and if it’s not an outright lie, then at least it’s a huge misrepresentation of the facts). This much is clear: the issue of identity theft is an increasing concern for both citizens and other officials (police, politicians, corporate watchdogs, etc). What isn’t so clear is where (or how) identities are actually stolen.
You don’t have to look far to find literature suggesting that the majority of identity thefts happen as a result of stolen or lost wallets. Many people claim that the risk of losing your identity due to a data breach is fairly small. At first glance this makes sense, but Kevin Poulsen writing on Wired’s Threat Level blog suggests that when you look at the data these statements don’t make sense.
In particular, Poulsen examines a report by Javelin Research. Recent victims of identity theft were asked how their identities were stolen. According to the chart, most people were victims of wallet theft; however, if you read the fine print you’ll actually find that the majority of the people surveyed actually had no idea how their information was stolen. Hmm… something isn’t right here. In other words, information could quite easily have come from a hacked database.
Read the full story (and see the pretty charts) here.
