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Unfortunately, identity theft is happening more and more frequently in the modern, digital age. Before you know it, you might become one of the next identity theft victims (if you haven’t been already). We’ve been tracking the history of the biggest data breaches since 2012, and below are 12 alarming statistics for this year, including the places identity theft is most commonly happening and what you can do about it.
Article Overview
12 Alarming Facts About Identity Theft And Fraud
Here are some interesting stats about identity theft that highlight the enormity of the issue in our current times.
- In 2021 there were 1,862 total data breaches (an all-time high and 68% jump from 202) with nearly 294 million victims. 1
- 2021 had more data compromises in the U.S. than any other year since the reporting started in 2003.1
- The number of breaches that involved Social Security Numbers (SSN)s was 83% in 2021, a slight increase from 80% in 2021 (but not as high as 95% in 2017).1
- There were 1,136 breaches in 2021 involving SSN with date of birth being the 3rd most breached data type in 2021 with 686 (after full name and SSN), followed by home address, medical history, driver’s license info and bank account information. Phone numbers and credit card full numbers are the least compromised data.1
- Phishing is the highest cause of attacks in 2021 with 33% followed by ransomware with 22$ and malware at 9%.1
- Ransomware-related data breaches have doubled in each of the past 2 years and at the current rate, it will pass phishing as the most common cause of compromises.1
- Email and mail correspondence is the highest percentage of where data breaches come from with 37% in 2021.1
- When it comes to attacks from physical property, device theft is the highest in 2021 with 33% followed by document theft (18%), improper disposal (10%) and skimming devices (2%).1
- The highest sector of breaches in 2021 was financial services with 279 compromises, followed by manufacturing and utility companies with 222.1
- There was a reported $2.3 billion loss due to imposter scams in 2021 with a median amount of $500 per report. 2
- In 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) processed 1.4 million identity theft reports which accounted for 25% of all fraud reports (1st highest fraud report category). 2
- 41% of money fraud reports in 2021 were between the age of 20-29 and those over 80 had the highest median loss of $1,500.2
Top 10 States For Identity Theft
| Rank & State | Reports per 100,000 | Total reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Georgia | 1,421 | 150,898 |
| 2. Maryland | 1,415 | 85,568 |
| 3. Delaware | 1,410 | 13,726 |
| 4. Nevada | 1,407 | 43,339 |
| 5. Florida | 1,370 | 294,328 |
| 6. Alabama | 1,217 | 59,669 |
| 7. Pennsylvania | 1,205 | 154,313 |
| 8. Louisiana | 1,193 | 55,456 |
| 9. Tennessee | 1,157 | 79,012 |
| 10. Alaska | 1,156 | 8,458 |
Identity Theft Statistics (Infographic)
There are so many interesting facts about stealing your identity we turned them into an identity theft facts infographic to help spread awareness about this growing issue.
Protect Yourself With An ID Theft Prevention Service
These identity fraud facts might have you running scared. That’s why we recommend that you protect yourself from identity theft by purchasing identity theft protection. Begin your search for the perfect service by checking out our comprehensive ID theft prevention comparison. Our article goes over the key features, pros, cons, pricing, and more for each service. It also covers tips to protect yourself from ID theft and how to recover if you’ve already been victimized.
Sources: [1] Identity Theft Resource Center, [2] The FTC
Tagged With: Statistics
