Victims of Identity Theft, 2016

• NCJ Number: 251147
• Author(s): Erika Harrell, PhD, BJS Statistician
• Date Published: January 2019
• Publication Series: Identity Theft
• Publication Type: Publication

Annotation

Presents data on the prevalence and nature of identity theft against persons age 16 or older in 2016, including how victims discovered the crime; financial losses and other consequences.

Abstract

Presents data on the prevalence and nature of identity theft against persons age 16 or older in 2016, including how victims discovered the crime; financial losses and other consequences; reporting the incident to credit card companies, credit bureaus, and police; the level of distress experienced by victims; lifetime prevalence rates of identity theft; and preventive action taken to reduce the risk of identity theft.

Highlights

• In 2016, 10% of persons age 16 or older had been victims of identity theft during the prior 12 months.
• For 85% of identity-theft victims, the most recent incident involved the misuse or attempted misuse of only one type of existing account, such as a credit card or bank account.
• One percent of persons age 16 or older had experienced the opening of a new account or misuse of personal information apart from misuse of an existing credit card or bank account or other existing account.
• An estimated 12% of identity-theft victims had out-of-pocket losses of $1 or more; 88% either had no out-of-pocket losses or had losses of less than $1.
• More than half (55%) of identity-theft victims who resolved associated financial or credit problems did so in one day or less.