Online shoppers are becoming more wary of the potential for identity theft, according to two recent surveys published in DM News.

According to a 2007 survey conducted by Vontu, a data-loss-prevention services provider and Ponemon Institute: "Thirty-six  percent of [survey] respondents said they would not use their credit or debit cards to make a purchase with a Web merchant they do not know."

The shoppers' concern follows this year's headlines of data breaches discovered at locales such as the University of Virginia in June, where, for two years, hackers accessed faculty members' personal information. Also in February, retail clothing corporation TJX had its database hacked for about a year and the information compromised included customers' credit card and driver's license numbers as well as names and addresses.

Businesses may be seen as the culprit in identity theft, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. The ITRC says: "A Zogby study reports that 91 percent of Americans are now concerned about identity theft and expressed concern that legitimate retailers would sell their information without consent ... In that same study 34 percent of respondents did not think retailers are doing a good job of protecting their personal data, compared to 28 percent who felt companies protect data adequately."

Read more about ID theft statistics as they relate to businesses, or take a "Business IQ Test" to determine just how many steps your shop should take to help prevent this crime.

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

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