Around 150,000 Norwegians have experienced ID theft in the last two years

Photo: Jon Olav Nesvold / NTB

Around 150,000 Norwegians have experienced ID theft in the last two years, a recent survey shows. Theft most often occurs in connection with online shopping and social media.

“There are far too many people who have experienced ID theft. For those affected, it is often perceived as extremely stressful,” senior adviser at the Norwegian Center for Information Security (NorSIS), Eivind Reiner Holm, noted in a press release.

The most common forms of ID theft include buying goods in other people’s names and stealing other people’s identities on social media.

“While the number of Norwegians who have had their identity misused in connection with online shopping is relatively unchanged, there has been an increase among those who have had their identity stolen and misused on social media,” Reiner Holm noted.

Stable numbers

The number of ID theft cases has remained stable since the previous survey, despite the increased use of digital services. Men and women of all ages are equally vulnerable to having their identities stolen.

In addition to raising awareness about ID theft, more extensive use of national ID cards will help with the issue, Marianne Henriksen, director of ID administration in the Tax Administration, stated.

“If everyone registered in the National Register gets a national ID card, it could open up for more social actors to use a national ID card as a confirmation of secure identity,” Henriksen said.

National ID cards are secure because they contain biometric information that is checked against the information in the National Register.

“This connection means that you can determine who is who with greater certainty, and it becomes more difficult to use false and fictitious identities when buying goods and services, both in online shopping and in physical stores,” Henriksen concluded.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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