Identity theft: The #1 crime in America

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received over 1.1 million reports of identity theft in 2024, according to the latest Consumer Sentinel Network Databook. But historical survey data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) indicates that there’s a significant gap between the number of reports made and the real number of victims, due to underreporting to law enforcement and government agencies.

Extrapolating data from 2021 suggests that there were around 18.9 million victims of identity theft in 2024, making it the most common crime in the U.S.

The underreporting problem

In 2021, the BJS Identity Theft Supplement revealed that there were around 23.9 million victims of identity theft. However, the FTC’s 2021 Consumer Sentinel Network Databook only recorded about 1.4 million identity theft reports in the same period.

To put that another way — the BJS data suggests that there were 16 times more victims of identity theft than there were reports received by the FTC in 2021, implying just over 6% of all victims reported identity theft to a government agency.

The advantage of the Identity Theft Supplement’s methodology over FTC data is that it didn’t rely on reported cases alone. Instead, it was based on nationally representative survey data: the Bureau of Justice Statistics surveyed about 93,300 U.S. residents aged 16 or older through phone or in-person interviews, asking about identity theft incidents that occurred in the prior 12 months. It then applied statistical weighting to produce national estimates.

An infographic accompanying the Identity Theft Supplement shows that according to their survey data, only around 7% of identity theft victims reported the incident to police or another law enforcement agency, while 67% reported it to their bank or credit card company. This suggests that reporting to the FTC may not be a particularly common way victims seek to address identity crimes.

Extrapolating victim counts

The BJS hasn’t released a new version of the Identity Theft Supplement since 2021. But the FTC publishes a new Consumer Sentinel Network Databook every year.

That makes it possible to estimate the number of actual victims per year, since the last time both sources of data were available — using the same ratio of reports to victims seen in 2021.

While it’s unlikely the gap between the number of reports submitted to the FTC and the real number of victims has remained exactly the same every year since 2021, there’s no obvious reason it would have changed dramatically.

Plus, other data validates the basic premise that fraud is significantly underreported. In 2026 testimony to the U.S. Congress, for example, the FTC stated that “reported fraud losses are just a fraction of American consumers’ actual losses since not every consumer who lost money to scams reported it.” The FTC based this claim on a 2021 study that found less than 3% of fraud victims complained to a government entity.

Comparing identity theft to other crimes

The BJS reports total victim figures for various crimes in their annual Criminal Victimization report. The latest data, from 2024, shows that there were around 6.7 million victims of violent crimes and 13.1 million victims of non-violent property crimes.

In the same period, there were over 1.1 million reports of identity theft made to the FTC. Extrapolating using the multiplier above gives us an estimated total number of 18.9 million identity theft victims for 2024.

In other words, we can estimate that identity theft was almost three times more common than violent crime and 44% more common than property crime in 2024, as measured by the number of victims.

This data points toward identity theft being the #1 crime in America, based on the number of estimated annual victims.

How the government defines identity theft

The FTC’s definition of identity theft is when “someone uses another person’s personal identifying information (like your Social Security number or credit card account number) to commit fraud or theft.”

The annual FTC reports also include figures on specific identity theft types. These include bank account fraud, credit card fraud, loan or lease fraud, phone or utilities fraud, employment- or tax-related fraud, government document or benefits fraud, and “other identity theft,” which covers email or social media account compromises, evading the law, insurance ID fraud, medical ID fraud, and online shopping or payment account fraud, among other sub-categories.

The BJS definition, which is based on the FTC’s, is similar: “a fraud that is committed or attempted using a person’s identifying information without authority.”

Rather than specific sub-types laid out by the FTC reports, the BJS definition of identity theft focuses on how personally identifiable information is misused, namely misusing existing accounts, opening new accounts, or using personal information for other fraud.

Why it’s important to report identity theft

People may not report identity theft to the government if they manage to recover lost money or resolve credit report errors without support. Or, they may not report simply because they’re embarrassed or intimidated. But filing a report helps the FTC understand identity theft trends, providing valuable intelligence and data they can use to fight fraudsters in the future.

Reporting identity theft to the FTC is simple, just follow these steps:

1. Visit IdentityTheft.gov and click Report Identity Theft. Alternatively, call the FTC at 1-877-438-4338.
2. Complete the online form, answering the provided questions as thoroughly as possible. This info then is used to build an identity theft affidavit, which provides the FTC with all of the relevant details.
3. Sign and submit your report, making sure to print and keep a copy for your own records. Then, follow the personalized recovery plan that’s provided to you by the FTC.

Other key steps to take if your identity is stolen depend on the specifics, but can include notifying your bank, changing passwords for affected online accounts, and freezing your credit.

Tips to protect against identity theft

Being proactive about identity theft protection can help you defend your identity and, by extension, your finances. That includes being diligent about monitoring your accounts, practicing good cyber hygiene, and being on guard against scams.

Here’s a more detailed look at some of the best ways to help protect against identity theft:

• Monitor your credit reports: Errors or unfamiliar accounts on your credit report can indicate your identity has been used in credit fraud. Monitoring your reports from all three bureaus can help you spot these signs sooner.
• Consider a fraud alert or credit freeze: A fraud alert prompts lenders to take extra steps to verify your identity, while a credit freeze restricts access to your credit file entirely. Placing one of these protections makes it harder for fraudsters to get credit in your name.
• Use strong, unique passwords: Data breaches can expose your passwords, but using unique passwords for each account helps limit the damage and long, strong passwords are harder for hackers to guess or crack using brute force techniques.
• Shred sensitive documents: Documents like bank statements, medical records, and tax forms can give away sensitive information if they’re stolen, which can be used to commit identity theft.
• Look out for phishing scams: Scammers often impersonate trustworthy people or companies in phishing attacks. Be on the lookout for fake texts, emails, or calls, and avoid clicking unknown links or sharing sensitive details if you’re ever unsure.
• Limit online exposure of your personal information: Personal details that appear online can be used and combined with data stolen in breaches to piece together your identity. Decreasing your exposure with an automatic data broker removal service can help.
• Act quickly if you suspect identity theft: If you notice signs of identity theft, contact relevant financial institutions (like your bank or credit card provider), take steps to protect your credit, and file a report with the FTC. Prompt action improves your chances of resolving issues before they escalate.

Sources

• FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Data Books: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
• BJS Identity Theft Supplement: 2021