A UK survey finds that many victims of identity theft apparently do not report the crime to police.

Ten percent of the 2,000 people 18 or older who were polled said they have been victims of the crime, The Daily Telegraph reported. The group most likely to be victimized are those under 30.

That appears to be because many young adults do not realize how vulnerable they are. Many, for example, said they did not know utility bills include information identity thieves could use, while others said they give PIN numbers and passwords to friends and relatives.

Investigators say the number of reported cases grew almost seven-fold in six years, from 20,000 cases in 1999 to 137,000 in 2005. Professor Martin Gill, a professor of criminology at the University of Leicester, said many cases are not only unreported, they are undetected even by the victims Calvicie.

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