Rise in identity fraud tied to smartphone use

Nearly 12 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2011, an increase of 13 percent over 2010, according to a report released by the research firm Javelin Strategy & Research.

The rise in the use of smartphones and social media by incautious consumers fueled the increase in identity fraud, and 2011 was a year of several big data breaches too, Javelin said. With the rise in credit card monitoring and more sophisticated policing by credit card companies, identity thieves are increasingly targeting users of smartphones and social media, where consumers have a tendency to be less cautious, experts say.