ID thieves target the rich

Clearly having a poorly protected computer system opens the door to intrusions, theft and lots of problems. But the most vulnerable computer users are not just those without the right firewalls. A new study by Experian, a company that does both identity fraud protection services and marketing demographics services, finds that hackers are targeting the most affluent among us.

The study said consumers in their "Affluent Suburbia" category, the wealthiest of the company's 12 demographic categories, were 43 percent more likely to fall victim to identity fraud as the average credit applicant. The study defined Affluent Suburbia as "the wealthiest households in the U.S., living in exclusive suburban neighborhoods and enjoying the best everything has to offer."

Individuals in the "Upscale America" category, defined as "college-educated couples and families living in metropolitan sprawl, earning upscale incomes that provide them with large homes and very comfortable, active lifestyles," were 22 percent more likely to become victims of identity fraud than the average credit applicant, reports DarkReading.com.

The Experian study suggests that identity thieves and others looking to make your life miserable are smart, and may be targeting victims by their neighborhoods and by their activities.

For example, some attackers were found to target users by their hobbies and interests. Users who displayed an interest in tennis were 85 percent more likely to have been victims of identity fraud than users who didn't, Experian found. Consumers who were interested in foreign travel were 70 percent more likely to be victims.

As a business using IT, it's important to remember who these targets are because some of your customers may fit right into the target areas. Not only could your systems be hacked, but the smart ID thief could be looking for the richest clients in your database.

For more on ID theft targets:
See this DarkReading.com article [1]