Identity theft has risen by more than 50 per cent in the US since 2003, according to new research.

Electronic theft of sensitive information was the top root of credit card and bank transfer fraud, a survey from analyst Gartner reveals.

The survey of 5,000 people indicated that unauthorised charges on credit cards quadrupled in 2006 from their average the year before.

Avivah Litan told SCMagazine.com that groups of criminals took advantage of businesses offering electronic purchases and "discovered weaknesses in the retailers' payment systems" in order to access the personal details.

Consumers lost an average of $3,257 (£1,688) per person to fraud via electronic payments in 2006, a rise from $1,408 (£730) the previous year, the report states.

Amid news of these statistics, the UK's Identity Fraud Consumer Awareness Group recommends running regular credit reports to identify any rogue transactions.

In the UK, identity fraud costs the UK economy £1.7 billion a year, according to Home Office statistics.