Think identity theft can't happen to you? If you're a woman, your odds of being an identity theft victim may be higher just by virtue of being female.

According to statistics from a new study, women are 26% more likely than men to be fraud victims. Reuters reports a few other interesting bits of data from the Javelin Research fraud study, which was released at the start of the week:

• ID theft is becoming more widespread; in 2008, nearly 10 million American victims lost $48 billion
• The fraud rate was found to be highest among people 35 to 44 years of age
• Those with salaries over $75,000 were more likely to be fraud victims than those who earned less

How can you protect your valuable private data? Whoever you are . no matter your gender, age, or income - you'll find information on how to reduce your risk of identity theft and fraud in the Lavasoft Security Center.