Well over 49 million people were victims of identity theft in 2020. This resulted in $13 billion in damages from “traditional” identity theft, i.e., people losing their info through data breaches and similar attacks. On the other hand, one of the strangest statistics is that the majority of the losses ($43 billion) stemmed from direct-interaction scams, such as phishing emails. In other words, bad actors are getting bolder and are willing to target people directly. (Javelin)
- 33% of citizens in the US have experienced identity theft.
- The FTC handled 2.2 million fraud reports in 2020.
- One million child identity theft incidents occurred in 2020.
- Every year, 15 million Americans become victims of identity theft.
Studies have also shown that every 14 seconds, someone becomes a victim of identity theft in the US. In light of the sharp rise in attacks we’ve seen in recent years, more and more people are calling for online data to be better protected. (Federal Trade Commission)
People who are active on social media are 30% more likely to have their details stolen when compared to other people. These are the main channels where attackers seek out targets. Identity theft statistics also show that Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram are exposed to an even higher level of risk, which propels the statistic to 46% (Business News Daily)
Identity theft statistics also show that the dead can become victims of cybercrime. There have been over 800,000 incidents where criminals have exploited the identities of the deceased to open credit cards or even get a cell phone plan. Studies have also shown that twice as many thieves used a fake Social Security number belonging to those who have passed away. (Time)
Baby Boomers lost the most to identity theft in 2020 and 2021. However, identity theft statistics for 2021 also show that they are in fourth place in terms of report numbers. This means scams are particularly costly per person for this age group. (FTC data)
Source: Fortuly
