 TITLE: 1 in 4 Americans Report Falling Victim to Fraud During the Holidays CONTENT: 1 in 4 Respondents Have Fallen Prey to Fraud During the Holidays\n----------------------------------------------------------------\nNearly one quarter—24%—of survey respondents reported being a victim of identity theft or fraud during the holidays, according to Experian's survey. Compared with last year's survey, that number has doubled from 12%.\nAs for how this fraud occurred: 22% of those asked said it happened when they used a credit card while shopping at a retail store; 21% said it happened while shopping online during the holidays; and 15% narrowed it down and said it happened specifically while shopping on Cyber Monday.\nThe type of fraud that saw the most growth since the last survey did not actually occur online—rather, it happened when consumers had their personal belongings stolen. Some 22% of survey respondents said the identity theft or fraud occurred when their wallet or purse was stolen or lost while shopping—that's up from 13% last year. Another 15% said they experienced fraud after their mail was stolen during the holidays—up from 4%. END