Identity theft is one of the most common crimes in the United States. In the most recent year with federal survey data, an estimated 23.9 million Americans — about 9% of residents age 16 or older — experienced some form of it, and the Federal Trade Commission logged more than 1.1 million identity theft reports in 2024 alone.1Bureau of Justice Statistics. Victims of Identity Theft, 20212Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024 Victims lost a combined $16.4 billion in 2021, and the volume of reports has climbed steadily as more financial activity moves online.
How Many People Are Affected Each Year
Two federal data sources track the problem, and they measure different things. The Bureau of Justice Statistics runs household surveys and found that about 23.9 million people experienced identity theft in 2021 — the most recent year with published survey results. That figure includes victims who never filed a formal complaint.1Bureau of Justice Statistics. Victims of Identity Theft, 2021
The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network counts only reports consumers actually submit. In 2024, it logged 1,135,291 identity theft reports out of roughly 6.5 million total consumer complaints, meaning identity theft made up about 18% of everything consumers reported to the agency that year.2Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024
The long-term trend is sharply upward. Total FTC consumer reports grew from about 1.1 million in 2007 to more than 6.4 million in 2024, and the volume nearly doubled between 2019 and 2020 as pandemic-era fraud flooded government benefit programs. Better reporting tools explain some of that growth, but the underlying volume of fraud is clearly rising alongside digital financial services.2Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024
What It Costs Victims
About 59% of identity theft victims in 2021 lost money, and their combined direct losses totaled $16.4 billion. The average loss per incident was $880, but the figure varies widely by type:
- New-account fraud — where a thief opens credit cards, loans, or other accounts in your name — averaged $3,430 per victim.
- Bank account misuse averaged $670 per victim.
- Credit card misuse averaged $620 per victim.1Bureau of Justice Statistics. Victims of Identity Theft, 2021
Time is the other cost. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 56% of victims spent a day or less resolving their most recent incident, while a meaningful share dealt with the aftermath for far longer, especially in new-account cases.3Bureau of Justice Statistics. Victims of Identity Theft, 2021 An older FTC survey put the average cleanup at 30 hours overall and 60 hours for new-account fraud victims.4Federal Trade Commission. Identity Theft Survey Report Automated fraud detection has likely shortened simple cases, but complex incidents can still take months of disputing accounts and correcting credit reports.
The Most Common Types
The FTC groups reports by how stolen information was used. In 2024, the breakdown looked like this:2Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024
- Credit card fraud: 449,032 reports, roughly 40% of all identity theft complaints, covering both existing-card misuse and new cards opened in someone else’s name.
- Other identity theft: 358,993 reports, a catch-all including online shopping fraud and email or social media account takeovers.
- Loan or lease fraud: 176,400 reports, often involving larger individual losses than credit card fraud.
- Bank account fraud: 114,608 reports, including draining existing accounts and opening new ones.
- Employment or tax-related fraud: 87,470 reports, where a stolen Social Security number is used to get a job or file a fake return.
- Phone or utilities fraud: 82,626 reports.
- Government documents or benefits fraud: 70,332 reports, including intercepted unemployment or Social Security payments.
Credit card fraud reports have climbed hard, rising from about 124,500 in 2020 to 449,000 in 2024. Government benefits fraud spiked in 2020 and 2021 when pandemic relief expanded and has since declined, though it remains a significant category.
Synthetic Identity Fraud
One of the fastest-growing threats doesn’t fit cleanly in any of those categories. Synthetic identity fraud combines real information, often a stolen Social Security number, with fabricated details like a fake name and date of birth to build an entirely new identity. Because no real consumer matches the file, the scheme can run undetected for years while the fraudster builds credit and then “busts out” with large balances. Industry estimates put U.S. lender exposure at around $3.2 billion as of mid-2024, with some projections reaching $23 billion by 2030.
Who Gets Targeted Most
Age shapes both how often people are hit and how much they lose. In 2024, adults aged 50 to 59 filed the most identity theft reports (291,807), followed by the 40-to-49 group (207,658) and the 60-to-69 group (187,195). Adults in their twenties filed far fewer (83,485), though younger people may also be slower to notice fraud because they monitor credit less often.2Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024
Older adults tend to lose more per incident even when they file fewer reports, a pattern generally attributed to larger retirement savings, higher credit limits, and less familiarity with digital fraud tactics.
Children
Children are a growing target because their Social Security numbers typically sit unused and unmonitored for years. A thief who gets a child’s number can build an entire credit history on it, and the fraud often surfaces only when the child applies for a first student loan or credit card. These cases are especially hard to unwind and frequently involve family members or close acquaintances.5Federal Trade Commission. How To Protect Your Child From Identity Theft
Active-Duty Military
Service members face elevated risk because deployments make it harder to monitor accounts in real time. Federal law gives them specific tools: an active-duty alert on their credit file lasting at least 12 months, which forces creditors to take extra identity-verification steps before opening new accounts and blocks prescreened credit and insurance offers for two years. Credit bureaus must also provide free electronic credit monitoring to active-duty service members, including National Guard members, who request it.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
Where It Happens Most
Rates vary significantly by geography. Densely populated states in the South and Southeast consistently report the highest rates per 100,000 residents, with several southern states exceeding 400 reports per 100,000 people. Some western states also rank above the national average.2Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024 Large metropolitan areas drive much of the volume, where the sheer number of financial transactions creates more opportunities for data breaches.
Rural areas report lower overall numbers but aren’t immune. Tax refund theft and government benefits fraud tend to be more prevalent there than high-volume credit card fraud. The broader shift online means geography matters less than it once did: a breach at a national retailer or bank affects consumers wherever they live.
Your Liability If It Happens to You
Federal law caps what you owe when someone uses your accounts without permission, but the rules differ sharply between credit and debit cards.
For credit cards, your maximum liability for unauthorized charges is $50, and that drops to $0 once you notify the issuer that the card was lost or stolen. Any charges after that notification are entirely the issuer’s responsibility.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1643 – Liability of Holder of Credit Card Most major issuers also advertise zero-liability policies that waive the $50 entirely.
For debit cards and other electronic fund transfers, protection depends on how quickly you act:8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1693g – Consumer Liability
- Report within 2 business days of learning about the loss: liability capped at $50.
- Report after 2 days but within 60 days of your statement: liability can reach $500.
- Report after 60 days: you could be responsible for the full amount of unauthorized transfers that occur after the 60-day window.
That gap is why speed matters. Checking statements regularly and flagging anything unfamiliar right away is the single best way to keep a common crime from becoming an expensive one.