“Identity Theft” Hot Search Item on Yahoo!; What Does That Say?

In many ways, both Twitter and popular search items are a reflection of what we are collectively thinking and feeling. These new digital measuring tools provide sociological insights into our fears and passions. So, being a blog that has extensively covered identity theft, we had to make note of a story from TheStreet.com about how “identity theft” has become hot search item on Yahoo!

So, what does this mean? Identity theft is not necessarily a positive search term – as opposed to Jessica Alba, Jersey Shore, and other countless mind-numbing popular culture searches. What it tells us is that people are scared. Identity theft is a real issue and with at least 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year,

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. population is now at a whopping 310 million (approx). Nine million folks becoming victims may seems like a relatively small stat. But, it is not. If 9 million people become victims each year, then in 10 years that number reaches almost 100 million. That is almost on-third of the entire U.S. population. This also means that more than 33 percent of your neighbors will become identity theft victims within 10 years. Scary? Yes.

The bottom-line is that we should be protecting ourselves more. Consumers need to take action, and the Identity Theft Assistance Center has offered a number of tips on how to best use social networks, and how to protect your personal data.

As we have always said, the bad guys are getting smarter and more nimble. We, as consumers, need to stay one step ahead.