Identity theft is more common than you might think: When criminals can hide behind computer screens, they get a lot more brazen. According to a 2021 study conducted by cybersecurity company NordVPN, approximately 29 percent of Americans had their bank accounts compromised last year, and 28 percent were victims of identity theft. And although there are ways to prevent identity theft online, these numbers continue to climb.
“Year after year we see growth in cybersecurity incidents in the U.S. In fact there was a 27% increase in 2021 compared to 2020. With these numbers on the rise, more and more people will be impacted by those cybersecurity issues, even though 50% of our respondents think that they are well prepared,” Daniel Markuson, cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, said in a press release outlining the findings.
But what is identity theft, really? For one thing, it’s distinct from credit card fraud, although the two are often confused. Nathaniel Cole, chief information security officer and security advisor for Network Assured, tells Best Life that identity theft involves a bad actor obtaining “enough personal information to successfully apply for and attain items like credit cards, state identification, or even medical care.”
As the security expert notes, “Identity theft can be more nuanced and include taking over accounts to pose as you for nefarious reasons, but oftentimes it is…
