Consumer Alert: 92 percent of Americans take major risks with personal data

A new study says that in the internet age, most Americans are taking big risks with their personal information.
The study by Creditcards.com finds that 92 percent of Americans are taking at least one major risk when it comes to their personal data and information.
The study found that the most common security issue was that most Americans reuse their passwords.
“We found that [60 percent of] Americans are using the same password more than half the time, and we found that 22 percent are using the same password every single time,” says credit industry analyst Ted Rossman.
Rossman continues, “There’s an interesting conflict here because, on one hand, people are being irresponsible with their info. But on the other hand, people are telling us that identity theft is a really big deal.”
The survey also found that Americans aren’t doing enough to protect themselves from data breaches even after they happen. Only 40 percent of Americans surveyed say that they check their credit reports on a regular basis. Only 24 percent say that they have ever used a credit freeze.
A credit freeze will basically block anyone else from taking out new credit in your name. Under a new federal law, it is now free to do so in all 50 states.
More information on credit freezing can be found HERE.