According to the Federal Trade Commission Wisconsin has one of the lowest identity theft rates in the country.
The FTC says Wisconsin has the ninth lowest rate of ID theft. But Janet Jenkins with the State's Consumer Protection Office says many times ID theft goes unreported. Or a victim may not know it right away because it can take months before a victim realizes it.
The low numbers may sound surprising since there have been a number of high profile personal information thefts lately in the state. But Jenkins points out thieves don't always know what they're taking and even though they have private information they may not try to use it.
While the FTC report is good news Jenkins says identity theft is still a huge problem with 8-10- million victims a year. So, she says, we all need to keep up our guard.