WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Credit scores should be checked at least once a year and before applying for credit, but daily updates provided by some U.S. services may be overkill.
A survey sponsored by a credit monitoring company found 63 percent of Americans thought they would be victims of identity theft within the next year -- but in reality only a small percentage of U.S. adults actually have personal information stolen resulting in identity theft, the New York Times reported Saturday.
A Federal Trade Commission survey in 2003 found only 1.5 percent of Americans were victims of identity theft. The FTC also found that 67 percent of what many call identity theft is old-fashioned credit card fraud -- and credit card companies will protect consumers against most losses if a card is misused, the Times said.
