DULUTH, Ga.–Half of Georgia consumers who responded to a 2015 End-of-Year Survey by Georgia Credit Union Affiliates (GCUA) have been the victim of identity fraud.
The survey revealed 47% of respondents have been the victim of a scam or some form of identity theft. Thirty-five percent said they have taken some form of proactive measure against identity fraud, while 56% said they closely monitor their accounts and are certain they would notice any fraudulent transactions, according to the GCUA. Nine percent of respondents said they figure someone will alert them if their account has been compromised.
The GCUA noted that the National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics revealed an estimated 17.6 million Americans - about 7% of U.S. residents age 16 or older - were victims of identity theft in 2014 (the most recent data available). Two-thirds of identity theft victims reported a direct financial loss. According to the study, victims whose personal information was misused or who had a new account opened in their name experienced greater out-of-pocket financial losses than those who had an existing credit card or bank account compromised.
Terry Hardy, president and CEO of MembersFirst Credit Union, was quoted by the GCUA as urging consumers to check their accounts carefully.
"If someone suspects fraud, it's important they closely monitor their financial accounts," Hardy said. "If they see anything unusual, they should contact the card issuer immediately. If it's after hours, they should call the card fraud number on the back of the credit card to have the potentially compromised card blocked and to open an investigation on the transactions to stop any further activity…They also need to be aware if there's unauthorized reoccurring debits going through. They should keep a record of those - electronically or on paper - and then contact the company and set it up so no other purchases can go through."