According to new research conducted by the online identity theft and fraud. experts at Garlik, men are 60 percent more likely to have their personal identity stolen on line than women. Researchers analyzed information about more than 250,000 online shoppers over a period of one year to come to this conclusion.

In addition to the data concerning male shoppers, the study also found that age is not the only factor that determines the likelihood of a person having their personal information stolen.

Households that are in middle to upper income brackets are more likely to fall victim to online thieves, in part because families in those financial brackets spend more time online .

"There were two surprises in our research, firstly that there is a big difference between men and women, with men appearing to be an online or identity fraud. accident waiting to happen," said Andy Thomas, managing director at Garlik. "Secondly, age alone is not a factor in risk, which dispels the myth that young people are more net-savvy than older generations."

According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are around 9 million cases of identity theft in the U.S. every year. Using a secure payment service when shopping online is a good way to protect sensitive data.