Van Dyke said he didn't think that in the remaining 70 percent of cases that the population of perpetrators was skewed differently.

Van Dyke said that the drop in new account fraud could be credited in part because of changing practices by banks and credit card companies to detect fraud more quickly, as well as enable customers to nip it in the bud.

For instance, some banks now let customers permanently turn off the option to transfer money internationally, a favorite tactic of scammers who have compromised a victim's existing account.

So what can people do to stop fraud? Van Dyke's top recommendation is to get rid of paper bank statements and invoices, which he said was more effective than shredding them after the fact. People should also carry only the personal pieces of ID that are absolutely necessary. Other forms of identification, such as Social Security cards or rarely used credit cards, should be left in secure places, such as a personal safe.

Online, people should also use strong PINs and passwords and never provide personal information except when it is a trusted source.