Victims of Identity Theft, 2018

• NCJ Number: 256085
• Author(s): Erika Harrell, PhD, BJS Statistician
• Date Published: April 2021
• Publication Series: Identity Theft
• Publication Type: Publication

Abstract

This report describes the number of persons age 16 or older who experienced identity theft in 2018. It details the type of identity theft, how personal information was obtained, whether victims reported it to credit bureaus or police, the extent of financial losses, other negative outcomes for victims, and the lifetime prevalence of identity theft. The report uses data from the 2018 Identity Theft Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey.

Highlights

• In 2018, about 9% of persons age 16 or older had been victims of identity theft during the prior 12 months.
• For 90% of identity-theft victims, the most recent incident involved only the misuse or attempted misuse of at least one type of existing account, such as a credit card or bank account.
• Monetary losses across all incidents of identity theft totaled $15.1 billion in 2018.
• Among victims who resolved the financial and credit problems associated with their identity theft, more than half (55%) did so in 1 day or less.