The survey interviewed 4,000 consumers representative of the U.S. population, including 509 victims of identity fraud, using a standardized 38-question telephone survey. The survey shows that the annual cost of identity fraud remains unchanged at $52.6 billion since 2003. The median cost per fraud victim of $750 was equal to the level of 2003. Most victims (67 percent) had no out-of-pocket costs; the mean out-of-pocket cost to victims increased 21.6 percent to $652. On average, victims spent 28 hours resolving credit, financial, and other problems caused by fraud, 5 hours less than was spent in 2003. The 9.3 million new victims of identity fraud in 2005 was a 7.9-percent decline (statistically insignificant) from 10.1 million in 2003. Family members and relatives, along with friends and neighbors, composed half of all known identity thieves. Family members and relatives were more likely to use identity theft to commit offenses under the category of "New Accounts and Other Frauds," and their frauds tended to have greater total costs, greater out-of-pocket costs, and require more time to resolve than frauds committed by other offender groups. The most common means of obtaining identity information were through lost or stolen wallets, misappropriation by family and friends, and theft of paper mail. Other information provided pertains to who discovered the theft, the length of time from the theft to detection, length of time to resolution, victim reporting actions, and victim characteristics. Recommendations are offered for steps individuals can take to protect personal information. Recommendations are also directed to companies in order to help them aid customers in preventing identity theft. Extensive tables and figures and 10 listings of related research