BERLIN, March 27 (Xinhua) -- One in 10 Germans has been victims of identity theft, according to a survey published on Wednesday by the Initiative Sicher Handeln (ISH).
The survey conducted by the global public opinion and data company YouGov also showed that one in three Germans has encountered identity theft, either personally or through victims around them.
The ISH said criminals have used stolen user data to create new accounts and make purchases or conclude contracts at the victim's expense.
The risk of becoming a victim of identity theft is increasing. While 185 million user accounts were stolen in 2021, the number could triple this year, the ISH said, citing the use of AI as one reason.
"Criminals could use AI to automate their fraud even more easily and quickly and thus carry out countless offenses simultaneously," said ISH spokesperson Harald Schmidt.
Data leaks have repeatedly resulted in huge quantities of stolen passwords and other personal data in Germany in recent years, with criminals becoming increasingly professional, according to the Federal Cyber Security Authority (BSI).
"The emergence of generative artificial intelligence is creating new challenges in the security sector," BSI said in late 2023, adding that manipulated content is "becoming increasingly authentic and therefore more difficult to expose due to the continuous improvement in the quality of publicly accessible tools."
