The New Landscape for Identity Theft

As Americans have become more savvy about identity theft - and as our computer processes and passwords have become more attuned to foiling thieves - instances of people getting ripped off in this manner have been falling. There were 3 million fewer instances of ID theft in 2010, down from a record 11.1 million in 2009, according to Javelin Strategy & Research's 2011 Identity Fraud Survey. Consumers lost $37 billion to ID theft in 2010, which may sound like a lot, but it's down from $56 billion in 2009.

The bad news: Each instance of ID theft is now costing victims more money. In terms of recouping lost funds and clearing up the problem, the average ID theft incidence cost $631 in 2010. That's up from $387 per incidence in 2009.

And not surprisingly, the biggest growth in ID theft comes from users of debit cards. In 2010, 43 percent of all identity theft cases arose from the use of debit cards.