685K identity theft complaints filed in 2005

Some 685,000 consumer complaints on identity theft were filed with FTC in 2005, with victims reporting losses of $680 mln. In 2005, 49 consumers reported losing $1 mln or more during 2005, the FTC said, compared with 42 in 2004. Nearly 14,000 victims said they'd lost over $5,000 to a con artist, a steep jump from just over 11,000 in 2004. Average losses were $2,400 per victim; median losses were $350. In 2004, the average was $1,846 and the median was $263.