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Study: Eighteen percent of online adults have had personal info stolen

At least 18 percent of online adults have had personal information stolen, and more than 20 percent have had an email or social networking account compromised.

The number of online adults whose information was stolen increased by seven percent in about six months, according to new Pew Research Center findings. Approximately 1,000 adults were surveyed via phone about their internet use and experiences with personal information security.

The group's research indicates that older adults, age 50 to 64, tend to be more affected by information theft, which could include Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or banking information.

Additionally, half of those surveyed said they worry about the safety of their information, which is up from 33 percent in 2009.

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