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Bank of the West's Expert Panel Will Discuss Trends and Perspectives on Identity Theft

  2012 MAY 13 - (VerticalNews.com) -- Bank of the West is presenting a regional panel of financial services experts who will discuss identity theft awareness, prevention and recovery as part of the bank's public education efforts.

  Identity theft continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. According to a 2012 Identity Fraud Report released by Javelin Strategy & Research, incidents of identity theft increased by 13% in 2011, with more than 11.6 million adults falling victim to this criminal activity. This increase in identity fraud was also reflected by The Federal Trade Commission, which tracks and distributes a list of top consumer complaints received by the agency annually. For the 12th year in a row, identity fraud topped the 2011 consumer complaints list.

  "Bank of the West is raising awareness of identity theft issues so consumers can be mindful of the increasing ways that their personal information might be compromised by criminal activity," said Bank of the West Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Banking Services Donald Duggan. Duggan is also a member of the ITAC board of directors. "The reported rise in identity theft trends indicates that this issue will continue to be relevant for those of us in the financial services industry who support consumer awareness and personal financial safety."

  Keywords: Finance and Financials, Investing and Investments.

  This article was prepared by VerticalNews Internet editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2012, VerticalNews Internet via VerticalNews.com.