CLEVELAND – More than 8 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2010, and according to Northeast Ohio police, many local victims were ripped-off by people they know.
In an effort to find the top Northeast Ohio I.D. theft hotspots, 5 On Your Side compiled ID theft reports obtained by Scripps Howard News Service from the Federal Trade Commission. Thousands of the FTC reports were filed by victims here in Northeast Ohio, from 2005 through March 2010.
The ID theft reports were broken down by ZIP code identifying locations where consumers were most likely to fall victim to identity theft.
The number of reports clearly indicate an increase in the amount of Northeast Ohio ID theft, growing from 2,482 cases in 2005 to 2,818 in 2009.
Surprisingly, the largest type of identity theft does not involve credit cards. The biggest target for ID thieves is actually your utility bills. ID crooks most often open up fictitious utility accounts in your name, a problem that makes up nearly 20 percent of all reported ID theft cases, bogus credit card accounts make up just 11.5 percent.
Cleveland accounts for eight of the top 15 ZIP codes when it comes to ID theft hot spots, with 44102 having the most reported cases, 433, during the five plus years covered by the 5 On Your Side study.
Other Cleveland ZIP Codes in the top 15, 44120, 44109, 44104, 44111, 44112, 44110 and 44106. Also in the top 15 are the cities of Newburgh Heights, University Heights, Elyria, Lakewood, North Randall and Bedford.
Many of the cities and ZIP codes in the top 15 are associated with major retail shopping complexes.
“That is where most people are being taken advantage of, around the shopping areas,” said Elyria Police Lt. Andy Eichenlaub.
