Countries With the Highest Number of Identity Thefts
- United States of America: 791,820,040 identities stolen
- France: 85,312,000 identities stolen
- Russia: 83,500,000 identities stolen
- Canada: 72,016,746 identities stolen
- Taiwan: 30,000,051 identities stolen
- China: 11,344,346 identities stolen
- South Korea: 10,394,341 identities stolen
- Japan: 8,301,658 identities stolen
Full Answer
Which states have the highest rates of identity theft?
Out of 3 million reports last year, 15% are related to identity theft. According to the Federal Trade Commission in 2019, Georgia has the highest percentage of identity theft reports per capita, and California has the highest total number of reports. 1. Georgia
How many people report identity theft each year?
FTC Data Book statistics also include reports from other organizations, including federal, state, local and international law enforcement agencies. Out of 3 million reports last year, 15% are related to identity theft.
How common is identity theft in Canada?
Among those, only 11,594 were ID theft incidents. This figure represents only 0.63% of all crimes in the country. The identity theft rate per 100,000 people is only 33. These figures place Canada in the same category as most European countries, according to identity theft statistics worldwide.
Who is most likely to be a victim of identity theft?
Anyone with a Social Security number can be the subject of identity theft, but the most common victims are children, seniors, members of the military and social media users.
Which country has the most cases of identity theft?
United States. Due to its large population, the large number of companies and its adoption of technology, the United States easily surpasses all other countries in terms of the amount of identities stolen.
Who is most at risk for identity theft?
Who is Most Vulnerable to Identity Theft?Most Affected Groups. ... Seniors. ... Military Personnel. ... College Students. ... Policyholders who suspect they are victims of fraud should contact Farmers Alliance at 620-241-2200 to find out how they can work with a fraud specialist to help manage and protect their identity.
What is the fastest growing identity theft?
Credit monitoring, fraud alerts nor credit freezes will inform you or stop criminal identity theft. Synthetic identity theft is the fastest growing type of ID fraud and its occurrences have surpassed "true-name" identity fraud.
What is the most common source of identity theft?
Financial identity theft is when one person uses another's personal data for financial benefit. This is the most common form of identity theft (including the credit card example described above).
What do identity thieves look for?
Any of these pieces of information are fair game for identity thieves, though some are more valuable than others: SSN, date of birth, credit card numbers, driver's license number, Social Security card, passwords and usernames, rewards account numbers, and more.
How often do identity thieves get caught?
There is not much the police can do for you in an identity theft crime. The authority prosecutes only 0.14% of identity theft suspects, and filing a report to the police will only safeguard you against financial claims from businesses and debt collectors.
What is the fastest growing crime in America?
AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) — Police in Texas say they're noticing a new crime trend called "jugging." Jugging happens mostly at banks, where suspects follow customers back to their homes before robbing them.
What age group is most affected by identity theft?
People ages 30 to 39 are most likely to get their identities stolen, followed by 40 to 49-year-olds. This could be due to the fact that by that age most people already have a stable job and a higher income. Their identity details are used more often and are more vulnerable to theft and more attractive to thieves.
Is identity theft getting worse?
Data source: Federal Trade Commission (2022). Identity fraud has been on the rise for the past five years and also increased notably in 2021. The number of identity thefts reported to the Federal Trade Commission in 2021 was 22% higher than in 2020.
How easy is it for someone to steal your identity?
Highlights: There are a number of ways identity thieves may obtain your personal information. Fraudsters may dig through mail or trash in search of credit card or bank statements. Unsecured web sites or public Wi-Fi may allow identity thieves to access your information electronically.
What are the first signs of identity theft?
9 Signs of Identity TheftUnexplained charges or withdrawals. ... Medical bills for doctors you haven't visited. ... New credit cards you didn't apply for. ... Errors on your credit report. ... Collection notices or calls for unknown debt. ... Your credit card or application for credit is denied. ... Missing mail or email.More items...
Can someone steal your identity with just your name and address?
Can thieves steal identities with only a name and address? In short, the answer is “no.” Which is a good thing, as your name and address are in fact part of the public record. Anyone can get a hold of them. However, because they are public information, they are still tools that identity thieves can use.
Who is affected by identity theft?
Seniors over 60 years old are the most common victims of identity theft. 3 in 10 victims of identity theft have experienced it more than once. 1 in 50 children is affected by child identity fraud, which costs U.S. families nearly $1 billion each year. Millennials account for 44% of U.S. identity fraud reports.
What age group is most commonly victimized by identity theft?
People ages 30 to 39 are most likely to get their identities stolen, followed by 40 to 49-year-olds. This could be due to the fact that by that age most people already have a stable job and a higher income. Their identity details are used more often and are more vulnerable to theft and more attractive to thieves.
Who does identity theft happen to?
Potential Victims of ID Theft Anyone can experience identity theft. Children and seniors are both vulnerable to ID theft. Child ID theft may go undetected for many years. Victims may not know until they're adults, applying for their own loans.
What are the chances of identity theft?
What are the odds of being a victim of identity theft? Studies have found that 4.5% of people in the US become victims of identity fraud every year. Americans are much more likely to have their identity stolen when compared to other people. One million children also become victims of fraud crimes every year.
What Is the Most Common Identity Theft?
The most common form of identity theft is new account fraud (4). This is where an attacker uses your personal information to open new accounts in y...
How Many Cases of Identity Theft Occur Each Year?
The FTC reported receiving 650,572 identity theft complaints in 2019, compromising 20 percent of the 3,240,749 complaints it received that year (4)...
How Many Identities Are Stolen Each Day?
Data from the last few years shows that around 14.4 million people have their identity stolen each year (5). That’s nearly 40,000 cases each day.
Identity Theft Statistics
During the same period, over 11 billion records were stolen, adding fuel to the identity theft problem. This is despite the stricter measures implemented to prevent data theft. The identity theft rate suggests that fraudsters are becoming more effective at circumventing measures.
Who Are the Victims of Identity Theft?
According to identity theft facts and statistics, those between 30 and 39 are most in danger of having their identities stolen. This age group accounted for as many as 306,090 identity theft reports in 2020. In contrast, only 9,915 of those over the age of 80 have been affected.
Identity Theft FAQ
Stats about identity theft show the US has the highest fraud rate globally and has been the subject of over six billion data breaches since 2013. Some states are more affected than others. In a global sense, it is almost twice as much as India, which comes in second.
Which state has the most identity theft cases?
In the early 2010s, Florida was the state with the most cases of identity theft per 100,000 people. However, in 2019, Georgia took the first spot, with 427 cases per 100,000 people 13. Florida takes second place in 2019, though, with California, Nevada and Texas following closely behind 4. 7.
Which group is most at risk of identity theft?
Four groups are most at risk of identity theft: children, heavy social media users, high-income earners and the eldery.
How much did identity theft cost in 2019?
Identity fraud caused an economic loss of $16.9 billion 6 in 2019, according to Javelin Strategy and Research. This is despite the fact that the percentage of people who fell victim to identity theft dropped in 2019, from a peak of 6.6 percent in 2017 to 5.1 percent in 2019.
Why is the FTC important?
The FTC is important because it allows victims to report identity theft, so much of the data we’ll reference in this guide is tied back to the FTC in one form or another.
Why use fraud losses as a figure?
Using fraud losses as a figure helps illustrate the economic impact of identity theft across the board, not just the expenses of a single victim.
What is identity theft?
Identity theft is any fraud related to using someone else’s personal information. In many cases, data breaches are where personal information leaks out. In 2018, around 65 percent of all data breaches resulted in identity theft 17.
How many people were victimized by identity theft in 2019?
The actual number of cases is likely higher, though, with Javelin Strategy and Research suggesting that 5.1 percent of all consumers fell victim to identity theft in 2019 (around 15 million) ( 6 ).
Which state has the highest percentage of identity theft?
Out of 3 million reports last year, 15% are related to identity theft. According to the Federal Trade Commission in 2019, Georgia has the highest percentage of identity theft reports per capita, and California has the highest total number of reports.
Who is most at risk for identity theft?
Most identity thefts are crimes of opportunity. Identity thieves often target those who don’t regularly check for identity theft warning signs and are unlikely to report irregular activity on their credit reports.
How can cybercriminals find a person's name?
It’s relatively easy for cybercriminals to discover a person’s name, date of birth, phone number, hometown and other sensitive information through social media and networking sites . With this information, an identity thief can target victims for phishing and imposter scams.
What is the Identity Theft Resource Center?
In the next year, the Identity Theft Resource Center ( ITRC) predicts identity theft protection services will primarily focus on data breaches, data abuse and data privacy. ITRC also predicts that consumers will become more knowledgeable about how data breaches work and expect companies to provide more information about the specific types of data breached and demand more transparency in general in data breach reports.
How do identity thieves steal a deceased person's identity?
Identity thieves can target the recently departed with information gleaned from public obituaries and access the deceased Social Security number through the Social Security Administration’s Master Death File. Stealing a dead person’s identity is commonly referred to as “ghosting.” Ghosting often goes unnoticed by surviving family for months or years.
How many people are victims of identity theft each year?
According to the Center for Victim Research, 7-10% of the U.S. population are victims of identity fraud each year, and 21% of those experience multiple incidents of identity fraud.
What is the FTC data book?
FTC Data Book statistics also include reports from other organizations, including federal, state, local and international law enforcement agencies. Out of 3 million reports last year, 15% are related to identity theft.
Which country has the highest identity theft rate?
Malta, the UK, and Switzerland recorded the highest online identity theft percentage in 2019. All these three countries had an identical percentage (3%) of their population deal with online ID theft. Identity theft statistics worldwide show that the UK also leads the way in credit card scams among its European peers.
What is the most common type of ID theft in the US?
Government documents or benefits fraud is the most common type of ID theft in the US. Identity theft statistics by country highlight that most such incidents in the US are related to government documents or benefits, accounting for 406,375 cases.
How many credit card fraud cases were there in 2017?
In 2017, there were 58,788 credit card fraud cases associated with ID theft. Bank account incidents related to ID theft came next with a total of 51,544 such offenses. Telecom impersonations jumped by 47% to 16,973 in 2017. Online retail ID theft also increased by nearly a half (49%) and reached a total of 11,729 incidents. Ghost brokers, per the Cifas online identity theft and credit card fraud statistics, noted a shocking year-on-year rise of 1,600% from 248 to 4,215.
How many Brits have been victim of identity theft?
Online fraud statistics reveal that approximately 14% of Brits who do online shopping have been ID theft victims. About 11% of Americans and 10% of Canadians meanwhile have reported such issues. Only 6%, 5%, and 3% of online shoppers from France, Spain, and Germany, respectively, reported having their identity stolen. These online credit card fraud statistics suggest that people from EU countries seem to be even more careful when online shopping.
What is the most common ID theft in 2020?
At 147,382, California is the US state with the highest total of ID theft reports. Government documents or benefits fraud is the most common type of ID theft in the US. In 2020, 56,451 ID theft cases were reported by military consumers.
How many ID thefts go unreported?
It’s interesting to compare these figures against the FBI identity theft statistics. In the US, 90% of ID theft incidents go unreported. Only 6.8% of Americans dealing with this incident went to the police. Moreover, most of them don’t think the authorities can help them if they report credit card frauds or ID theft.
How many ID thefts were reported in 2001?
Back in 2001, there were only 86,250 ID theft reports in the USA. The FTC identity theft statistics, however, showed that only a year later, the number nearly doubled to 161,977. The record-high number of such reports was seen in 2015 when there were 490,112 incidents filed.
1. Social Security Identity Theft
Social Security identity theft is among the most common types of identity theft. Hackers exploit an important piece of information that almost everyone has, at least in the United States and other countries with Social Security-like programs. This allows hackers to cast a wide net in terms of the target audience.
2. Child Identity Theft
As the name suggests, child identity theft involves malicious actors stealing personal information from children/minors.
3. Medical Identity Theft
Medical Identity theft is a type of fraud where malicious actors pretend to be another person and then claim medical services from the government. For the medical identity theft attempt to be successful, the malicious actor first must access the victim’s medical data.
4. Synthetic Identity Theft
Synthetic Identity Theft is a new type of identity theft where malicious actors commit a financial crime by exploiting real personal data (including items such as birthdays, addresses, names and SSNs) and combining that information with more identities (made up ones) to generate detailed profiles of people with near-perfect credit scores.
5. Tax Identity Theft
Among the many other old and tested types of identity theft, the most common is tax identity theft. In tax identity theft, malicious actors are able to get hold of information that allows for the filing of tampered tax returns under the name of the target/victim.
6. Criminal Identity Theft
Criminal identity theft is a common type of identity theft where, as the name suggests, a criminal steals a target’s personal information (usually a driver’s license or SSN) and then performs malicious activities with that information at hand.
7. Financial Identity Theft
Even though financial identity theft appears lower on this list, that does not mean this type of identity theft is not common. Financial Identity theft is one of the most widespread types of identity theft. In financial identity theft, criminals use different methods to obtain information illegally or defraud the victim.
What identity theft queries are the US searching for the most?
We can see that the US is Googling phishing (which is where emails are sent pretending to be from a business in order to encourage people to reveal personal information) and social media hacking far more than online banking hacking - despite the potential financial risk associated with online banking.
Where in the US is searching the most about identity theft?
Looking at the US as a whole we can see that there are incredibly high search volumes for identity theft queries in every state, with the majority of the biggest searchers concentrated in the Northeast states.
Expert advice on how to keep yourself safe online
We wanted to get more information about the best ways to protect ourselves online, so we spoke to James Walker, CEO of Rightly, an independent consumer data action service committed to championing consumer rights and helping people police, control and manage the personal data held by organizations and he offered some tips on the best ways to protect yourself from identity theft online:.
How can Veriff help
Veriff is a global online identity verification company that enables organisations to build trust with their customers through intelligent, accurate, and automated online identity verification. Our technology helps to match a person with their government-issued ID.
Which state has the most identity theft cases?
Let’s discuss the states with the most cases of identity theft: 1. California. In 2020, California had the most reported cases of identity theft in the country. The state of recorded 147,382 identity theft complaints. As cybercrime continues to climb relentlessly, California has remained the center and was deemed the most popular state ...
How many cases of identity theft in Kansas?
Kansas had 43,211 cases of identity theft. As the numbers spiked, the state had no option but to warn its citizens to be mindful of their information. If Kansans see anything odd, they can fill out a form on the state’s department of labor’s website to report suspicious activity. 10. Pennsylvania.
Is identity theft a problem in 2020?
With the number of fraud and identity theft complaints lodged with the FTC reaching record highs in 2020, it goes without saying that identity theft is more of a problem than ever. However, states across the U.S. do not experience identity theft at the same rate.
Is identity theft an epidemic?
Clearly, identity theft is an epidemic on its own, and it happens in various ways. However, there are various steps that victims of fraud can take immediately to protect themselves in the future. Since identity theft poses various risks, we’d be happy to help you out if you ever get into such an unpleasant situation.
