SAN FRANCISCO -
"Contrary to conventional wisdom, younger American adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are more at risk of ID fraud," the study added. "The survey found that victims in this age group are less likely to utilize the most basic precautions, such as shredding documents, turning off paper bills and financial statements, or using anti-virus, anti-spyware software or firewalls."
Members of this age group were the most likely to fall victim to fraud in the past 12 months when compared to all other age groups, according to Javelin. "The overall adult population of the United States reported a fraud rate of 3.7%. Younger adults between 18 and 24 reported a much greater incident rate of 5.3%. Additionally, more than half of these victims reported knowing their perpetrators, which could include friends, neighbors or in-home employees, as compared to just 23% of overall respondents.
