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Identity Theft Crimes Rise Nearly 10% in the Last Two Years


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Debt.com’s third annual survey shows about half of Americans are victims of identity theft – and it’s cratering credit scores.

For the first time, almost half of all Americans have been a victim of identity theft.

December is Identity Theft Awareness Month, and for the past three years, Debt.com has polled Americans about the most common crime in the country. According to this year’s results, it’s more frequent than ever, with 49.22% of respondents saying they have been victims. This is nearly 10% increase from 2021.

Nearly half of respondents said identity theft cost them up to $500. That might explain why almost 1 in 5 (17%) took on more than $500 of debt due to the crime.

Credit scores also took a hit. Over 40% said their credit score dropped as a result of identity theft. In 2022, it was 31%.

A significant number of those polled had their credit scores drop by up to 100 points:

Money lost in 2022:

  • 2023 – 38%
  • 2022 – 32%
  • 2021 – 34%

Mid-Atlantic states (NY, NJ, PA, DE, and MD) report the highest number of identity theft victims, while the New England states (MA, ME, CT, NH, RI and VT) have the lowest rate of incidences. Pacific states (CA, OR, WA, AK and HI) come in second and third is the South Atlantic region (FL, GA, NC, SC, VA, WV, and DC).

Mid-Atlantic states experience the highest amount of identity theft.

Region States (breakdown defined by the U.S. Census Bureau)
Middle AtlanticNew York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland
PacificCalifornia, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii
South AtlanticFlorida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia
East North CentralIllinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin
West South CentralArkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
MountainArizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming
East South CentralAlabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee
West North CentralIowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota
New EnglandConnecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
For full survey results, click here
Have you ever been a victim of identity theft?YesNo
Percentage of respondents49.22%50.78%
If yes, how did you feel when you realized your identity was stolen?Percentage of respondents
Vulnerable, I was nervous about what could happen to my finances.69.05%
Apathetic, identity theft is so common. I was sure the problem would resolve itself.17.66%
Embarrassed, I couldn’t believe I didn’t do more to protect myself.25.99%
Paranoid, I became more conscientious of where I used my credit card information online and in stores.36.71%
Proactive, I called every credit card company and financial service to report the loss. I immediately purchased ID theft protection.24.40%
N/A2.18%
If yes, how much money did this theft cost you, in both money lost and money spent fixing the problem?Percentage of respondents
$0-$5021.23%
$51-$50028.17%
$501-$1,00018.06%
$1,001-$2,50011.11%
$2,501-$4,0005.75%
$4,001-$5,5004.56%
$5,501-$7,0003.57%
$7,001 or more4.56%
N/A2.98%
Did your identity theft cause you to go into debt?YesNoN/A
Percentage of respondents35.52%60.91%3.57%
If yes, how much debt did you take on due to identity theft?Percentage of respondents
$0-$25017.66%
$251-$50020.44%
$501 or more17.06%
N/A44.84%
What type of identity theft did you suffer from?Percentage of respondents
Bank fraud19.84%
Credit card fraud50.40%
Loan fraud5.56%
Phone fraud5.75%
Phishing scam6.15%
Tax fraud3.17%
Other7.74%
N/A1.39%
Were you surprised to find you were a target of identity theft?YesNoN/A
Percentage of respondents79.37%17.66%2.98%
Has identity theft had a negative impact on your credit score?YesNoN/A
Percentage of respondents41.47%54.17%4.37%
If yes, how much did your credit score drop because of your identity theft?Percentage of respondents
Not at all24.80%
10-20 point drop13.69%
21-50 point drop12.90%
51-100 point drop10.91%
101-200 point drop5.56%
My credit score dropped more than 200 points3.57%
N/A28.57%
Do you currently use a credit monitoring or identity theft protection service?YesNo
Percentage of respondents73.02%26.98%
For full 2022 survey results, click here
Have you ever been a victim of identity theft?YesNo
Percentage of respondents45.45%54.55%
If yes, how did you feel when you realized your identity was stolen?Percentage of respondents
Vulnerable, I was nervous about what could happen to my finances.63.26%
Apathetic, identity theft is so common. I was sure the problem would resolve itself.15.03%
Embarrassed, I couldn’t believe I didn’t do more to protect myself.17.54%
Paranoid, I became more conscientious of where I used my credit card information online and in stores.34.03%
Proactive, I called every credit card company and financial service to report the loss. I immediately purchased ID theft protection.22.55%
N/A3.13%
If yes, how much money did this theft cost you, in both money lost and money spent fixing the problem?Percentage of respondents
$0-$5027.14%
$51-$50029.65%
$501-$1,00016.70%
$1,001-$2,5009.39%
$2,501-$4,0005.85%
$4,001-$5,5001.46%
$5,501-$7,0002.30%
$7,001 or more2.51%
N/A5.01%
Did your identity theft cause you to go into debt?YesNoN/A
Percentage of respondents24.63%71.61%3.76%
If yes, how much debt did you take on due to identity theft?Percentage of respondents
$0-$25019.83%
$251-$50017.12%
$501 or more11.90%
N/A51.15%
What type of identity theft did you suffer from?Percentage of respondents
Bank fraud17.33%
Credit card fraud51.98%
Loan fraud3.76%
Phone fraud7.10%
Phishing scam4.59%
Tax fraud2.51%
Other10.44%
N/A2.30%
Were you surprised to find you were a target of identity theft?YesNoN/A
Percentage of respondents78.50%17.95%3.55%
Has identity theft had a negative impact on your credit score?YesNoN/A
Percentage of respondents31.11%63.05%5.85%
If yes, how much did your credit score drop because of your identity theft?Percentage of respondents
Not at all30.27%
10-20 point drop11.27%
21-50 point drop12.94%
51-100 point drop7.72%
101-200 point drop1.88%
My credit score dropped more than 200 points1.88%
N/A34.03%
Do you currently use a credit monitoring or identity theft protection service?YesNo
Percentage of respondents61.59%38.41%
For full 2021 survey results, click here
Have you ever been a victim of identity theft?YesNo
Percentage of respondents40.81%59.19%
If yes, how much money did this theft cost you, in both money lost and money spent fixing the problem?Percentage of respondents
$0-$5018.50%
$50-$50021.99%
$500-$1,00020.77%
$1,000-$2,50014.83%
$2,500-$4,0007.33%
$4,000-$5,5003.84%
$5,500-$7,0001.40%
$7,000 or more3.84%
N/A7.50%
Did your identity theft cause you to go into debt?YesNo
Percentage of respondents31.59%68.41%
If yes, how much debt did you take on due to identity theft?Percentage of respondents
$0-$25017.45%
$250-$50017.28%
$500 or more14.14%
N/A51.13%
What type of identity theft did you suffer from?Percentage of respondents
Bank fraud19.02%
Credit card fraud45.90%
Loan fraud6.63%
Phone fraud6.81%
Phishing scam6.98%
Tax fraud4.54%
Other8.03%
N/A2.09%
Were you surprised to find you were a target of identity theft?YesNo
Percentage of respondents83.77%16.23%
Has identity theft had a negative impact on your credit score?YesNo
Percentage of respondents38.57%61.43%
If yes, how much did your credit score drop because of your identity theft?Percentage of respondents
Not at all56.72%
10-20 point drop12.39%
21-50 point drop13.79%
51-100 point drop8.90%
101-200 point drop3.84%
My credit score dropped more than 200 points4.36%
Do you currently use a credit monitoring or identity theft protection service?YesNo
Percentage of respondents63.53%36.47%

Survey Methodology: Debt.com: Do-It-Yourself Guidance plus Professional Debt Help surveyed 1,025 people asking 10 questions related to identity theft. People responded from all 50 states and Washington, DC, were aged 18 and older, and the population split is weighted against the US census. The survey was conducted on Nov. 24, 2023.

TrustScore 4.6

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