Identity Theft Victims Struggle to Set Record Straight

Results of a new survey of 1,097 identity theft victims show that 28 percent of respondents have not been able to restore their identitites, despite trying for more than an average of a year.

The study, conducted by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., shows victims spend an average of 81 hours trying to resolve their cases.

More than half of all victims discovered their identity theft themselves, either by noticing unusual charges on their credit card or discovering funds were missing from their accounts. Only 17 percent were notified by a creditor or financial institution of suspicious activity. It took those surveyed, on average, five-and-a-half months to discover the theft.