TL;DR: The FTC received more than 1.1 million identity theft reports through IdentityTheft.gov in 2024, and Javelin Strategy & Research's most recent Identity Fraud Study found identity fraud (excluding scams) cost Americans $27.3 billion and hit 18 million victims in 2025.
The FTC received more than 1.1 million identity theft reports through IdentityTheft.gov in 2024, and Javelin Strategy & Research's most recent Identity Fraud Study found identity fraud (excluding scams) cost Americans $27.3 billion and hit 18 million victims in 2025.
What the Data Shows
Identity theft has stayed a large, steady problem rather than a shrinking one — over a million official reports a year means it's a routine risk, not a rare event, and most victims never see it coming until an account is already opened in their name.
Why This Matters
Numbers like these are a reminder that this isn’t a rare event — it’s a routine risk. Checking whether your own information has already been exposed takes 30 seconds and costs nothing.
If this looks similar to something else you've seen, it's worth reading Identity Theft Statistics in Australia 2026.
This pattern shows up elsewhere too — see Identity Theft Statistics in Canada 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the numbers actually show?
The FTC received more than 1.1 million identity theft reports through IdentityTheft.gov in 2024, and Javelin Strategy & Research's most recent Identity Fraud Study found identity fraud (excluding scams) cost Americans $27.3 billion and hit 18 million victims in 2025.
What does this mean for you?
Identity theft has stayed a large, steady problem rather than a shrinking one — over a million official reports a year means it's a routine risk, not a rare event, and most victims never see it coming until an account is already opened in their name.
Where does this data come from?
This data is drawn from FTC – IdentityTheft.gov, a primary reporting source for fraud and identity theft data.