Identity Theft Makes Online ConsumersWary

NEW YORK - (11/11/05) -- Increasing incidents of identitytheft have made growing numbers of consumers wary of bankingonline, according to a new survey released this week by Entrust, anInternet security firm. The report, presented in New York Tuesdayat a forum on identity theft, claimed that 18% of Americans whohave banked online now do so less frequently, or not at all, due tosecurity concerns. The survey also found that roughly a third ofonline users have doubts about the legitimacy of the banking Websites they regularly visit, fearing that they may be phony sitesset up by criminals. The vast majority of those surveyed--94%--saidthey would be willing to use additional security measures such asstronger authentication methods. The survey was based on datacollected from 710 people during the week of October 17.