Javelin says the annual cost of ID fraud dropped by nearly 12% over the previous year, from $51 billion to $45 billion. These figures represent the total amount that criminals were able to obtain illegally before detection.

According to the annual survey - which is based on interviews with more than 5000 US adults - around 300,000 fewer US adults fell victim to identity fraud in 2007 than in 2006.

The figures show that 3.58% of the country's adults fell victim to ID fraud in 2007, compared to 3.74% in 2006.

However, Javelin says that the total out-of-pocket expense that ID fraud victims incur rose last year - costing an average of $691 in 2007 compared to $554 the previous year.

Factors that contributed to the decline include greater consumer vigilance and awareness, improvements in systems and practices by companies that manage personal data, increased monitoring of personal account information and consumers updating spyware and anti-virus software more frequently.

Commenting on the report, James Van Dyke, president and founder of Javelin Strategy & Research, says: "The good news is the leadership role many businesses are taking in educating consumers about ID fraud risk factors is paying off. Still, fraudsters are getting creative and leveraging new techniques to commit fraud, so Americans need to be as diligent as ever in protecting their personal information."

Javelin says that as businesses spend more money on protecting against online fraud and consumers become more aware of the threats, criminals are turning to more traditional methods to steal personal details.

The most significant new avenue for theft of information in 2007 was the telephone channel, says Javelin, which saw a sharp rise in incidents. Access through mail and telephone transactions rose from three per cent of theft in 2006 to 40% in 2007.

Fraudsters are also increasingly using vishing techniques - utilising Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to con people via SMS text messages and phone calls, says Javelin.

Thieves are posing as charities, billing institutions or other financial firms to trick people into disclosing confidential data such as social security, bank account and credit card numbers, over the phone.

The poll also shows that people between the ages of 18 and 24 who have fallen victim to ID theft are the most likely to put fraud alerts on their credit reports, with 67% saying this is an immediate first step. Of this age group, 47% purchased ID fraud insurance, nearly three times as many as any other age group.