Alarming Identity Theft Statistics & Facts for 2023
There is a reason why our personal information is deemed sensitive and must be kept private. Getting your identity stolen by a malicious adversary can be very costly in both time and money and even take a toll on your mental health. Identity theft statistics show that fraudulent activities of all types—including stealing personal information—keep on reaching new heights every year.
Identity thieves have no problem stealing all kinds of sensitive information, including those belonging to children, if it means they can get paid for it. Read on for the most recent data on identity theft, the costs of such frauds, victim demographics, and more.
Top 10 Identity Theft Statistics and Facts
The FTC received 1,434,676 identity theft reports in 2021.
The number of identity theft reports has increased by more than 120% since 2019.
52% of identity theft victims are female, and 47% are male.
24% of adult identity theft victims are aged between 45 and 54.
64% of identity theft victims are White or Caucasian.
30% of identity theft victims have annual incomes of over $100,000.
The total loss suffered through identity fraud by US consumers in 2021 is estimated at $52 billion.
36% of the victims solved all their issues caused by identity theft within a week.
915,000 US children had their identities stolen in 2022.
72% of Americans worry about being the victim of identity theft.
Statistics on Identity Theft Reports
The FTC received 1,434,676 identity theft reports in 2021.
Statistics show that identity theft complaints account for the largest share, or 25.01%, of the reports received by the FTC in 2021. Of them, 395,948 complaints reported fraud associated with government documents or benefits, while 389,737 reported credit card fraud.
Furthermore, 377,102 reports were related to other, uncategorized types of fraud, 197,914 were related to loan and lease fraud, and 124,388 reported bank fraud incidents. Finally, identity theft facts show 111,723 reports associated with employment or tax-related fraud and 88,813 complaints about phone or utilities fraud in 2021.
(FTC)
The number of identity theft reports has increased by more than 120% since 2019.
Historical data reveals that in 2001 there were only 86,250 identity theft complaints reported, and their number has been steadily increasing ever since. However, the biggest year-on-year increase on record is between 2019 and 2020, when the number of identity theft reports grew by 113.45% from 650,523 to 1,388,540.
In 2021, stats on identity theft indicate a 3.3% increase compared to 2020 and a 120.5% increase compared to 2019. Compared to 2001, the number of identity theft reports has increased by more than 1500%.
(FTC)
308,910 of the victims who reported identity theft in 2021 were aged between 30 and 39.
With a share of 21.53% of all the identity theft complaints reported that year, Americans in their 30s are the most common victims of identity theft. Furthermore, 266,269, or 18.55%, of the reports were filed by Americans between 40 and 49, and 206,514, or 14.39%, were filed by Americans in their 50s.
Identity theft stats further reveal that 13.33% of the victims were aged between 20 and 29, and 8.23%, or 118,093 Americans, who reported identity theft in 2021 were people in their 60s. Lastly, according to the stats, 22,833 identity theft reports were filed by Americans under 19 and 9,917 by Americans over 80 years of age, accounting for 1.59% and 0.69% of the total number, respectively.
(FTC)
With 2,857 per 100,000, Rhode Island is the state with the highest number of identity theft reports per capita in the USA.
The US identity theft statistics place Kansas on the second spot of this unpopular list, with 1,355, and Illinois on the third, with 924 identity theft reports per 100,000 population. On the other end, the lowest number of reports were filed in South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, with 76, 106, and 107, per 100,000.
In absolute figures, the largest number of identity theft reports were filed in Texas, with 146,095, followed by California, with 133,119, and Illinois, with 117,056. Interestingly, identity theft was the most commonly reported fraud in 24 of the 50 states in the USA.
(FTC)
Identity Theft Victim Demographics
52% of identity theft victims are female, and 47% are male.
Statistics also show that women are slightly more likely to report their identities being stolen, as 61% of the victims who reported identity theft to the ITRC were women, while only 38% were men. Furthermore, according to the data, 67% of identity theft victims are college graduates, 17% have some college education, and 16% have a high school education or less.
(ID Theft Center)
24% of adult identity theft victims are aged between 45 and 54.
According to the most recent identity theft data, Americans from the above age bracket account for the largest share of identity theft victims. They are followed by people aged between 35 and 44, and those aged between 25 and 34, each group accounting for 21%.
Furthermore, 13% of identity theft victims are between 55 and 64 years old, 12% are over 65, and 10% are between 18 and 24. However, the data also shows that older Americans are more likely to report these crimes than their younger counterparts. Namely, 56% of the reports in the ITRC were filed by consumers older than 55.
(ID Theft Center)
64% of identity theft victims are White or Caucasian.
The latest identity theft facts reveal that Asian or Pacific Islander people account for 12% and Latino or Hispanic people account for an equal share of 12% of identity theft victims. Black or African American people account for 10%, and 2% of the victims are multiracial.
However, the stats from the ITRC based on the reports it received paint a somewhat different demographic picture. Namely, 58% of the reports were filed by White or Caucasian, 19% by Black or African-American, 11% by Hispanic or Latino, and only 3% by Asian or Pacific Islander people.
(ID Theft Center)
30% of identity theft victims have annual incomes of over $100,000.
The ID theft stats by income range show that Americans from the top percentile are the most likely victims of identity theft. Furthermore, 16% of the people who had their identities stolen have annual earnings of between $75,000 and $99,999, and 20% receive between $50,000 and $74,999 per year.
Americans with incomes between $35,000 and $49,999 account for 13%, and those with between $20,000 and $34,999 for 11%. People who earn up to $20,000 yearly only account for 10% of identity thefts, but they filed 28% of the reports received by the ITRC.
(ID Theft Center)
Important Facts About Identity Theft
The total loss suffered through identity fraud by US consumers in 2021 is estimated at $52 billion.
Not all identity theft incidents are reported, and according to some estimations, the total number of Americans affected by identity crimes in 2021 is 42 million. More precisely, 15 million US consumers were victims of traditional identity fraud and lost $24 billion, while another 27 million consumers lost $28 billion through identity theft scams. According to these figures, $1,238 is the average amount of money lost to identity theft.
(Javelin Strategy)
50% of identity theft victims are recurring victims of identity theft.
Identity theft facts and statistics show that half of the people who got their identities stolen in 2022 have experienced identity theft before as well. In addition, data reveals that the largest portion of identity theft victims suffered losses of up $500, though a small portion of 6% lost over $10,000 in the incident.
The stats suggest that people who lose bigger amounts of money are more likely to report identity theft, as 30% of the reports received by the ITRC showed losses of over $10,000.
(ID Theft Center)
36% of the victims solved all their issues caused by identity theft within a week.
While ID theft statistics reveal that just over a third of the victims were able to resolve the problems related to their identity being stolen in seven days, in other cases, it takes much longer than that.
Namely, for 28% of the victims, it took between one week and one month, for 12% between one month and three months, and for 5%, between three and six months to go back to normal. Only a small percentage of 3% of the victims solved their issues in between six months and a year, though there are still 16% of people with ongoing issues that are not solved.
(ID Theft Center)
915,000 US children had their identities stolen in 2022.
The latest child identity theft statistics show that the number of identity theft incidents where the victims were minors has decreased from 2021, but the average loss suffered has increased. In 2021, over 1.25 million children had their identities stolen, and their families lost an average of $1,100 per incident.
In comparison, the average loss the families of these children suffered in 2022 was $1,128 per household. They lost an average of $752 on the fraud itself and another $376 in the process of resolving it. Finally, the average time it took to resolve a case of child identity theft was 16 hours.
(PR Web, Javelin)
70% of social media identity theft victims have been permanently locked out of their accounts.
The online identity theft statistics show that social media account takeover attacks increased by 1,000% in 2021. Instagram accounts are the main target of digital identity thieves, with 85% of the victims reporting them compromised to the ITRC. In comparison, only 25% of the victims reported a compromised Facebook account.
While it is easy to dismiss hacking into a social media profile as a petty crime, note that 27% of the victims reported losing sales revenue as a result of their account being taken over, in some cases, revenues of over $10,000.
(ID Theft Center)
Medical identity theft is caused by family members in half of the cases.
Medical identity theft statistics reveal that the data stolen from medical IDs can be 20 to 50 times more valuable than data from credit cards or social security numbers. Medical identity theft accounted for 35% of all data breaches in 2019.
In 24% of these cases, a family member used the victim’s medical credentials without permission, while in 23%, the victim willingly shared their credentials with a friend or a relative to help them get medical care. Finally, data indicates that the average loss suffered from medical identity theft is $13,500, including paying off fraudulent medical charges.
(Experian)
72% of Americans worry about being the victim of identity theft.
Identity theft crime statistics show that, alongside worrying about having their sensitive information stolen by hackers at 74%, these are the two crimes the largest portion of Americans worry about.
After them, being victims of a burglary and having their car stolen or broken into are the two crimes Americans worry about most, though with a significantly smaller percentage of only 43%. In comparison, only 33% of Americans worry about getting mugged and 22% about getting murdered, which indicates the magnitude of the negative effect that the threat of identity theft has on mental health in the USA.
(Statista)
FAQs on the Facts About Identity Theft
How many identities are stolen each year?
Is identity theft increasing or decreasing?
How common is identity theft in the US?
How much does the average person lose from identity theft?
What is identity theft on social media?
What is the number one type of identity theft?
Why is identity theft so common?
How long can the effects of identity theft last?
The Summary
Unfortunately, there is no good news to report when it comes to identity theft. Identity theft statistics are conclusive that fraudsters and stealers of information are becoming more prevalent and ruthless as time goes by and will take advantage of anything you allow them, including medical records and even social media accounts.
Sources:
