Consumers Still Concerned About Identity Theft, Credit Card Security

In a survey conducted of 400 retail shoppers over "Black Friday", three of every four shoppers are concerned about their credit card information being vulnerable to hackers and other criminals. Similarly, two-thirds of those surveyed said they would be using their credit card to make  25% or less of their holiday gift purchases. The survey was conducted by BitArmor Systems, a data control software company, and news departments WHAS-TV, WTVF-TV, WTAE-TV, and WMBA-TV - from Louisville, Nashville, Pittsburgh and Birmingham, respectively.

It was designed to limit multiple responses from a single person. The survey was conducted in the wake of a 60 Minutes report which said that the theft of more than 94 million credit card numbers and customer records from TJX could have been prevented. And an internal memo specifically mentioned cost-cutting measures at the risk of safety.

The issue of identity theft has long been a major concern. Respondents in this recent survey show it is still an issue at the forefront of consumers' minds. Almost forty percent responded that they or someone they knew had been a victim of identity theft; while 80 percent said they were unlikely to continue shopping at a store where retailers were not taking adequate measures to protect the customers' personal data. "Shoppers are increasingly concerned about what's happening to their data. It's reflected in fewer people using their credit cards, and it's reflected in them saying they'll shop at other stores if they don't feel their personal information is being adequately protected," said Mike Concordia, president of BitArmor. (PRNewswire). The report also found that 75% would tell their friends if they knew about a company that didn't protect their private data. Only five percent of those surveyed responded that they were not concerned about the issue.