The rate of identity theft-related fraud has risen sharply since 2003, a report from research firm Gartner suggests.

Gartner’s study shows that from mid-2005 until mid-2006, about 15 million Americans were victims of fraud that stemmed from identity theft, an increase of more than 50 percent from the estimated 9.9 million in 2003.

It should be noted that the 2003 statistics and the mid-2006 statistics came from two different sources–and hence, two different statistical methodologies.