27+ Identity Theft Statistics You Must Know in 2023

Identity theft has been around for quite some time now. The rising trend exposes internet users to more risk, primarily if they don’t safeguard their information appropriately. Identity theft victims may feel the effects for years through financial loss, low-scoring credit, etc. Also, they may experience difficulties getting a new job due to false information during a security background check.

Statistics on how people’s data and information are stolen are outlined below to encourage everyone to be cautious and protective of their personal information.

Identity Theft and Fraud Key Statistics (2023)

• Victims of identity theft have reached almost one-third of Americans.
• Phishing/smishing/vishing attacks have happened to over 300,000 Americans yearly.
• 50,000 people in the US have experienced breaches of their data.
• US citizens, commonly aged between 30 and 40, are identity theft victims.
• According to statistics, many people in America are likely to know someone who has been a victim of identity theft.
• Personal information is left by 87% of people online.

How Common is Identity Theft?

1. People Who Have Been Victims of Identity Theft are Around 1 Out of 3 Americans.

Around 33% of US citizens have experienced identity theft at a time in their lives. According to statistics, that number is more than double the global average.

(Source: Proofpoint)

2. Phishing/Smishing/Vishing Attacks Have Happened to Over 300,000 Americans Yearly.

Typical cybercrime like phishing/ smishing/ vishing, which involves data stealing, occur almost 4x more than any other crimes common in the US, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) 2021 Internet Crime Report.

(Source: FBI)

3. Each Year, Cybercrime Has Brought About a Loss of Around $4 Billion in the US Alone.

Identity theft victims lose so much to cybercrime. According to the FBI report, in 2021, $4 billion was lost to cybercrime. Exactly 323,972 cybercrime victims in the US suffered from Phishing/ Vishing/ Smishing, 82,478 US citizens were victims of internet crime of Non-Payment/ Non-Delivery, and 51,829 US citizens were victims of Personal Data Breach.

51,629 US citizens were victims of identity theft, 39,360 US citizens were victims of Extortion, 24,299 were victims of confidence/ Romance fraud, 23,2903 US citizens were victims of Tech Support, and 20,56 US citizens were victims of Investment cybercrime.

(Source: FBI)

4. Every Year, Personal Data Breaches and Identity Theft Occur Over 100,000 Times.

According to the report, apart from those unreported cybercrimes, 50,000 identity theft and 50,000 personal data breaches are reported annually in the US. 

(Source: FBI)

Stolen Data Statistics

5. Between 2020 and 2021, About 4 in 5 Fraud Examiners Predicted an Increase in Identity Theft.

Since the advent of internet criminality, identity theft has increased. During a survey in 2020, 57% of global fraud examiners believed that identity theft had risen in May 2020.

In August 2020, 67% of global fraud examiners believe identity theft will increase. In August 2021, it was predicted that the number of fraud examiners believing in identity fraud would rise to 82%.

(Source: ACFE)

6. 8% of Europeans Reported Experiencing Online Identity Theft.

Around 9 out of 10 European internet users claimed they had never experienced online identity theft when asked in 2019. According to reports, European internet users who claimed to have experienced online identity theft once were 3%, and those who did not know if they had experienced identity theft were 2%.

(Source: European Commission)

7. Internet Criminals Can Hack and Take Over Almost Half of the Vulnerable Accounts Within 24 Hours.

Internet fraudsters are noticed to be acting very quickly and fast given the large amount of data breaches. According to research, internet fraudsters take less than 24 hours to hack and take over around 40% of accounts completely.

(Source: Javelin)

8. Most Credit Cards that Have Been Stolen are Sold for Less Than $1 on the Dark Web1.

The dark web is where stolen data is sold. Thieves usually sell stolen details for low prices, as low as $0.50 per credit card, even with the high cost of losing a credit card. If the card has complete details, it might be sold cheaply from $1 to $45.

(Source: Symantec)

Identity Theft Victims

9. People at the Average Age of 30-39 Years Old are Victims of Identity Theft.

According to research by the Federal Trade Commission, people between the age of 30-39 in the US are the most common victims of identity fraud, with 306,090 complaints, closely followed by those between the ages 40-49 years old, with 302,678 complaints.

People aged 80 and above are less likely to suffer from identity theft. Thosaged 50-59 years experience, 244,183 complaints, a proportion of 19.9%. People aged 20-29 filed 190,916 complaints, a 15.5% proportion of complaints.

(Source: FTC)

10. Identity Theft Affects Over 1 Million Children Every Year.

Children are also affected by identity theft fraud. Every year, around 1.3 million children have their records stolen. In 2021, there is about a 63% increase in reports filed for child identity theft. 

(Source: Identity Theft Resource Center)

11. People Who Use Social Media Face More Danger of Identity Theft.

The most significant risk factor for identity theft is being active on social media. Research has discovered that people with active social media presence are 30% to 46% exposed to being attacked by identity theft and account takeovers.

(Source: Javelin)

12. According to Statistics, People in America are Likely to Know Someone Who Has Been a Victim of Identity Theft.

According to reports, in 2021, 20% of US citizens were victimized by identity theft fraudsters. More than 1 in 10, 11% of people affected by identity theft, do not want to file a report with the police.

(Source: Consumers Sentinel Network)

13. Card ID Theft has Resulted in the UK Losing Between $24 Million and $55 Million Annually.

Card ID theft is one of the many forms of identity theft and fraud. In the UK, millions of pounds have been lost to card ID theft annually. From 2008 and 2018, the amount of money lost to card ID theft reached a 20-year high of over £45 million ($55 million). During 2002 and 2011, card ID theft cost £20 million ($24.5 million).

(Source: UK Finance)

14. ATM Fraud has Resulted in the Loss of Over $200 Million Every Year in Europe.

The year-over-year increase in ATM fraud was noticed between 2013 and 2017 in Europe. It went down in 2018. According to research, ATM fraud has resulted in the loss of over $200 million annually in Europe.

• In 2010, €268 million ($281 million) reported losses to ATM fraud in some European countries.
• In 2011, €234 million ($245 million).
• In 2012, €265 million ($278 million).
• In 2013, €248 million ($260 million).
• In 2014, €280 million ($294 million).
• In 2015, €327 million ($343 million).
• In 2016, €332 million ($348 million).
• In 2017, €353 million ($370 million).
• In 2018, €247 million ($259 million).
• In 2019, €249 million ($261 million).

(Source: European ATM Security Team)

15. A single Cryptocurrency Robbery Brought About a Loss of Over Half a Million USD in 2021.

The rise in the rate of crypto theft is due to the increase in cryptocurrency. According to reports, the amount of crypto lost due to lack of security increased by 9x between 2020 and 2021. The biggest crypto robbery brought about the loss of approximately $610 million in one incident in August 2021.

(Source: DeFiYield)

16. Fraud has Brought About a Loss of Over $5.8 Billion Yearly.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, losses due to fraud are increasing daily. $1.8 billion was lost in 2019 due to fraud, while $5.8 billion was lost in 2020. Further, $5.8 billion was lost in 2021 because of fraud.

(Source: FTC)

17. From 2013 to 2017, the Rate of Data Breaches Rose Year-over-year Globally.

The rate of worldwide data breaches rose over the years up to 2019. According to the report, 357 global data breaches occurred in H1 2013, increasing to 1.085 by H2 2017. The global data breach in the year 2013 was 699. In 2014, it was 928, and in 2015 it was 1,005. In 2016, it was 1,050; in 2017, it was 1,765.

(Source: Gemalto)

18. Data Breaches Have Occurred in California 2x More Than in Any Other State Since 2005.

According to the report, 1,777 cases of data breaches occurred in California, more than any other state. New York has seen 863 cases of data breaches, while Texas has 819 points.

(Source: Comparitech)

19. The Loss or Theft of Personal Records has Occurred More in California Than in Any Other State.

According to a statistical report, between 2005 and 2020, over 5.6 billion personal records have been lost or stolen in the state of California alone. 1.38 billion have been lost in Oregon, while 388 million personal records have been lost in Maryland.

• Florida had 388,461,514 records lost/stolen.
• Georgia had 355,331,875 records lost/stolen. 
• Virginia had 311,628,882 records lost/stolen.
• New York had 295,801,833 records lost/stolen. 
• Texas had 294,847,285 records lost/stolen.
• New Jersey had 150,028,157 records lost/stolen. 
• District of Columbia had 148,382,157 records lost/stolen.
• Indiana had 110,351,941 records lost/stolen.
• Washington had 81,289253 records lost/stolen. 
• Minnesota had 45,470,352 records lost /stolen. 
• North Carolina had 27,406,656 records lost/stolen.
• Nevada had 25,406,656 records lost/stolen.
• Illinois had 21,582,351 records lost/stolen.
• Pennsylvania had 17,614,927 records lost/stolen.
• Arizona had 10,905,610 records lost/stolen.
• Michigan had 10,851,171 records lost/stolen.
• Tennessee had 9,612,731 records lost/stolen.
• Wisconsin had 8,173,146 records lost/stolen. 
• South Carolina had 7,656,310 records lost/stolen. 
• Connecticut had 7,511,586 records lost/stolen.
• Colorado had 7,372,814 records lost/stolen.
• Oklahoma had 7,347,113 records lost/stolen.

(Source: Comparitech)

Identity Theft Risk Factors

20. Almost 9 Out of 10 People Leave Personal Information Exposed Online.

Most danger signs are entirely avoidable. Research shows that when using the internet, either for email services or bank transactions, 87% of people do expose their personal information online.

(Source: Norton LifeLock)

21. When Using WiFi, 6 Out of 10 People Ensure They’re Confident That Their Personal Information is Not at Risk.

Most people are not familiar with the functions of cybersecurity. According to research, 49% of internet users believe and know that their personal information and data could be at risk when using public WiFi.

(Source: Norton LifeLock)

22. Virtual Private Network VPN is Not Used by 86% of Internet Users.

More people now consider using Virtual Private Networks (VPN) as identity theft security. According to research, only 14% of internet users adopt VPN to protect their WiFi.

(Source: Symantec)

23. Identity Theft Attacks Happen to Almost Half of the People After Online Shopping.

Careless and irresponsible online shopping behaviors are the reasons for identity theft. After shopping online, 43% of identity theft victims claim to have been attacked.

(Source: Experian)

24. Shoppers Who Would Gladly Use Public WiFi for Internet Shopping are Around 2 Out of 5.

Online fraud increased during the pandemic when shopping online was the norm. According to studies, 42% of people would shop online using a public WiFi network.

(Source: Experian)

25. Disclosing Passwords is Rampant Among 4 Out of 5 Americans.

According to research, disclosing passwords to family and friends is rampant among 79% of Americans. A repeat of the same password on many websites is done by 65% of people.

(Source: Google)

Outcomes of Identity Theft

26. Identity Theft is a Partial Concern to More Than Half of Interviewed British Citizens.

According to research by the European Commission, 29% of people are very concerned about identity theft, while 38% are relatively concerned.

(Source: European Commission)

27. Each Year, a Fraud Victim Loses an Average of $500.

According to a report by the Federal Trade Commission, an average of $500 was lost to identity fraud in 2021.

(Source: FTC)

28. Family Members of Victims are No Longer Trustworthy by Nearly Half of the Identity Fraud Victims.

Identity theft has a harmful health effect on the physiology and emotion of victims and can cause them to lose money. According to the report, 77.3% of victims suffer stress, and 54.5% suffer fatigue and low energy. 45% of internet fraud victims feel they can’t trust family members, and 55% feel they can no longer trust friends.

(Source: Identity Theft Resource Centre)

Preventive Measures for Identity Theft

29. The Online Protective Measures Mainly Used are Parental Controls.

By adopting protective measures, Internet users can take precautions to protect their personal information and online activities. According to a global survey, 33% of respondents used online parental controls as a preventative measure. 29% changed default privacy settings on the device as a protective measure. 

In the US, 27% used an identity theft protection service as a preventative measure. 26% used turning off third-party cookies in a browser as a preventative measure. Also, 26% employed Enabled multi-factor authentication as their protective measures. 22% of correspondents used something other than their full name for social media to prevent identity theft. 18% used an encrypted email service or messaging app as a fraud-preventative measure. 

18% used Disabled microphone access on my device as a preventative measure. 16% of correspondents used a VPN to encrypt information as a preventative measure. Also, 16% Deleted a social media account as a preventative measure. 15% used anonymous payment methods as a preventative measure. 14% of US correspondents used privacy monitoring services as a preventative measure.

(Source: Norton LifeLock)

Conclusion

Obtaining unauthorized data by criminals is becoming more rampant. Internet security measures and procedures can help protect personal information and data. Also, avoiding public networks while active online, especially when shopping, is another way internet users can protect themselves. Many people also rely on VPN services and use strong passwords. Most importantly, internet users should avoid leaving their accounts exposed without logging off all the time.

As the statistics show, identity theft victims have increased over the years. As more people use the internet, the numbers are growing. Integrating safe practices when utilizing your personal information is a must to avoid losing your identity to fraudsters.

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