Identity and credit card theft now Americans' biggest concern

04.07.09
By Lewis Green

It's a good idea to pay attention to your credit score and watch for any suspicious activity that may appear on your credit report. In this shaky economy, a new study finds that consumers are most worried about identity and credit card theft.

Sixty-six percent of Americans are "seriously" concerned about misuse of personal information, according to a survey by Unisys. In fact, credit or debit card fraud is the top area of worry, the study reports.

Unisys collected data from 1,004 individuals aged 18 and older between February 20 and 22, 2009. The respondents were selected from a random digit dialing sample of continental U.S. households.

Most survey respondents - 74 percent - feel that world financial instability puts them at a greater risk for credit fraud or related crimes. Twenty-eight percent feel that this danger will increase "substantially" if the world economy worsens.

The youngest group surveyed, from ages 18 to 34, is most concerned with meeting financial obligations, as 54 percent of respondents cite this as their top worry.

The same group feels fairly secure using the internet for financial and personal transactions.

However, older adults aged between 45 and 54 have the greatest concern surrounding shopping and banking online. Forty-five percent of those who describe this as their biggest worry fell into this age group.

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Consumers increasingly concerned about stolen personal details