How Many Americans Are Victims Of Identity Theft Each Year?
Imagine if your personal information was stolen and used without your consent or knowledge. Unfortunately, this is a reality for roughly 9 million Americans each year. We’ll look at the statistics behind the 4.7 million identity theft and fraud victims in the United States in this blog post, as well as what you can do to avoid becoming a victim.
Top Identity Theft Statistics:
Every year, some 9 million Americans are victims of Identity theft and fraud.In 2025, there were 4.7 million identity theft and credit card incidents in America2.2 million Americans filed fraud reports in 2025of which 34% lost money.1.4 million people in the United States had their identities stolen In 2025.In 2021, consumers lost more than $56 billion to identity theft and fraud.Worldwide, identity theft losses totaled around $9.5 Trillion in 2025.The worldwide cost of repairing identity theft and fraud is $1.7 billion.Millennials are responsible for 44% of all identity-related fraud reports in the United States.Around 1.3 million children have their identities stolen from fraudsters.With 1.4 million instances, account takeovers are one of the most popular forms of identity theft.Identity Theft Statistics In America
How Many Americans Are Victims Of Identity Theft Each Year?Every year, some 9 million Americans become victims of identity theft or fraud, despite the fact that only an average of 1.8 million incidents of fraud and id theft were reported each year during the years 2000 to 2020. That implies that millions of instances of id theft and fraud go undetected every year.
How Many Americans Had Their Identities Stolen In 2020In 2020, there were 4.7 million identity theft and credit card incidents in the United States, resulting in a $4.5 billion total loss. The numbers breakdown to Americans reporting about 1.4 million identity theft reports, 2.2 million fraud reports, and 1.2 million other reports.
Key Statistics:
In the first 6 months of 2020, the ITRC traced around 540 breaches that affected almost 164 million people.In the first half of 2020, external threats accumulated to 404 – slightly lower than in 2019’s, recording 588 cases.Fraud And Identity Theft Reports By Year:Year
Number Of Reports
2020
4,720,743
2019
3,244,844
2018
3,115,556
2017
2,918,18
2016
3,060,824
2015
3,080,378
2014
2,620,931
2013
2,134,565
2012
2,115,079
2011
1,898,543
2010
1,470,306
2009
1,428,97
2008
1,261,124
2007
1,070,447
2006
906,129
2005
909,314
2004
860,383
2003
713,657
2002
551,622
2001
325,519
2022: 5.1 million Reports
2023: 1,037,000 identity theft reports, which was a 6.3% decrease from 2022. However, the
Most Common Identity Theft & Fraud Complaints
What Is The Most Prevalent Form Of Identity Theft Today?Account takeovers are one of the most prevalent forms of identity theft, with 1.4 million occurrences each year. An account takeover is when Identity thieves seize control of a person’s identity and assume the persona of the individual without their permission. This is frequently linked to internet crimes, hacking, email spoofing, and mobile phone porting.
The most common complaints are organized by type below:
Identity theft-based tax fraud and employment
Employment Fraud – This is the most frequent ID fraud complaint in this category. This technique is used by criminals to gain unauthorized access to your Social Security number and other forms of data in order to work for a specific company. Because its major goal is employment rather than money theft, it’s considerably less dangerous than other forms of identity fraud.
Tax Fraud – According to the FTC, 36% of identity theft and fraud complaints are unique to the Tax fraud category and are also more dangerous since crooks may utilize other people’s personal information to submit tax forms in order to gain an advantage.
Credit Card Fraud – Credit card fraud is the second most frequent type of identity theft and fraud in the United States, with roughly 33% of all such complaints. In the instance of credit card fraud, criminals may use other people’s personal information to get a card that doesn’t belong to them or establish a new one entirely.
Utilities And Phone Line Fraud – Another frequently mentioned ID theft problem is utilizing someone else’s personal information to open utility and telecom accounts. Up to 13% of ID fraud incidents are related to this kind of complaint. By doing so, the scammer obtains free public utilities and memberships since the fraudulent invoices will be sent to the owner of the personal data used illegally.
Bank Fraud – Some 12% of identity theft complaints involve bank fraud. Bank fraud is also a widespread problem. In this case, the offender uses another person’s personal information to create new bank accounts and credit lines, as well as to take control of a person’s account entirely.
Leasing And Lending Frauds – Leasing and lending fraud is another fairly common identity theft-related complaint with 7% of ID theft complaints being linked to this category. The criminal benefit is that they won’t have to repay the debt or interest on it. Instead, the victim will be contacted for debt repayment.
Obtaining Government Benefits Through Identity Theft – Many criminals employ identity theft to obtain a variety of government benefits. The content of these perks is determined by what the criminal is searching for. Roughly 7% of complaints are about this method, which is considerably less frequent than employment and tax fraud.
Annual Cost Of Identity Theft And Fraud
How Much Money Do American Consumers Lose To Identity Theft & Fraud?In 2021, Americans lost more than $56 billion to identity theft and fraud.
What Is The Worldwide Total Loss For Identity Theft?Identity theft has resulted in a worldwide loss of approximately $721.3 billion in 2021.
What Is The Global Cost To Repair Identity Theft And Fraud?The worldwide cost of dealing with identity theft and fraud is $1.7 billion.
ID Theft and Fraud By State (2022)
Fraud And Other Reports By State
Last year, California residents submitted more fraud reports than any other state with a total of 300,781 reports filed. Followed by Texas (253,320), Florida (227,391), New York (182,177), and Pennsylvania (125,518). The state with the lowest number of fraud reports last year was Wyoming with only 3,288 reports, followed by North Dakota (3,744), South Dakota (3,829), Vermont (4,349), and Montana (6,706).
State
Number Of Reports
Alabama
48,557
Alaska
7,002
Arizona
61,532
Arkansas
18,706
California
300,781
Colorado
55,173
Connecticut
25,587
DC
9,428
Delaware
11,279
Florida
227,391
Georgia
112,429
Hawaii
9,670
Idaho
11,438
Illinois
114,917
Indiana
45,860
Iowa
16,018
Kansas
20,323
Kentucky
31,230
Louisiana
43,474
Maine
9,192
Maryland
70,763
Massachusetts
54,271
Michigan
68,090
Minnesota
36,722
Mississippi
20,999
Missouri
46,092
Montana
6,706
Nebraska
10,495
Nevada
34,840
New Hampshire
9,930
New Jersey
79,043
New Mexico
15,289
New York
182,177
North Carolina
82,455
North Dakota
3,744
Ohio
97,769
Oklahoma
24,575
Oregon
32,778
Pennsylvania
125,518
Rhode Island
19,831
South Carolina
42,820
South Dakota
3,829
Tennessee
62,428
Texas
253,320
Utah
20,840
Vermont
4,349
Virginia
72,678
Washington
60,031
West Virginia
11,356
Wisconsin
36,653
Wyoming
3,288
Identity Theft Reports By State
Last year, Texas residents submitted more identity theft reports than any other state with a total of 106,632 reports filed. Followed by California (101,198), Illinois (100,538), Florida (82,907), and New York (75,323). The state with the lowest number of identity theft reports last year was Wyoming with only 455 reports, followed by South Dakota (494), Vermont (523), Alaska (641), and North Dakota (753).
State
Number Of Reports
Alabama
14,095
Alaska
641
Arizona
22,535
Arkansas
4,968
California
101,198
Colorado
25,556
Connecticut
4,710
DC
2,171
Delaware
3,222
Florida
82,907
Georgia
50,441
Hawaii
2,231
Idaho
2,021
Illinois
100,538
Indiana
8,702
Iowa
2,521
Kansas
37,836
Kentucky
5,519
Louisiana
25,494
Maine
1,522
Maryland
19,763
Massachusetts
11,939
Michigan
15,427
Minnesota
6,607
Mississippi
7,711
Missouri
10,165
Montana
823
Nebraska
1,612
Nevada
13,190
New Hampshire
1,635
New Jersey
21,036
New Mexico
2,831
New York
75,323
North Carolina
22,392
North Dakota
753
Ohio
33,925
Oklahoma
5,152
Oregon
5,573
Pennsylvania
35,450
Rhode Island
18,620
South Carolina
13,689
South Dakota
494
Tennessee
15,625
Texas
106,632
Utah
4,464
Vermont
523
Virginia
13,558
Washington
9,666
West Virginia
2,026
Wisconsin
8,289
Wyoming
455
Identity Theft Statistics By Age & Lifestyle:
Which Age Group Is Responsible For The Most Identity-Related Fraud Reports?
Millennials are responsible for 44% of all identity-related fraud reports in the United States.
How Many Children Had Their Identities Stolen From Fraudsters?
Around 1.3 million children have their identities stolen from fraudsters.
Identity Theft Reports By Age:
Consumer Age
Number Of Reports
80 and Over
8,162.00
70 – 79
38,427.00
60 – 69
99,805.00
50 – 59
174,019.00
40 – 49
217,703.00
30 – 39
245,258.00
20 – 29
151,132.00
19 and Under
19,462.00
Types Of Identity Theft By Age:
Theft Type
80 and Over
70 – 79
60 – 69
50 – 59
40 – 49
30 – 39
20 – 29
19 and Under
Phone or Utilities Fraud
348
1364
3788
7749
13431
21138
15701
563
Other Identity Theft
1271
5561
15779
34477
58415
80602
47676
2198
Loan or Lease Fraud
394
1953
7080
17104
32697
51533
32074
840
Government Documents or Benefits Fraud
2870
18617
47586
75292
63721
30619
14747
2178
Employment or Tax-Related Fraud
1328
3455
7779
12349
15745
21833
19174
12719
Credit Card Fraud
1352
5043
14791
32033
55843
81355
49258
1330
Bank Fraud
1504
5668
13159
17712
18746
19310
11642
1296
Key Statistics:
People with social media accounts are 46% more likely to be a victim of identity fraud than someone without it.Victims of Identity theft are 43% more likely to reside in an affluent suburb.According to the FTC, 1 in 4 victims of ID theft is 60 years old or older.This indicates that 24.1% of individuals who are 60 years or older, living in the United States are targeted in online attacks.Over half of the victims were under the age of 50.Identity theft victims are 73% more likely to have an advanced degree.Conclusion
Taking ActionIdentity Theft and Fraud is a massive problem in the United States, and it’s only getting worse.
Make sure you have some form of identity theft protection and be vigilant about protecting your personal information.
By taking these precautions, you can reduce your risk of becoming one of the millions of Americans who have their identities stolen each year.
Sources:
FTC | GIACT | Policy Advice |
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