In this article:
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received more than 1.3 million complaints of identity theft in 2025 and roughly 3 million cases of related fraud for the same period, resulting in total financial losses of more than $15.8 billion.
The number of fraud complaints reported to the FTC and affiliate agencies increased 1.46% in 2025 to 3,025,103 from 2,639,302 in 2024. Total financial losses associated with fraud increased over 24% in 2025 to $15.86 billion, up from $12.78 billion in 2024.
Meanwhile, median losses per reported fraud case dropped to $414 in 2025, down from $498 in 2024. The number of identity reports filed during that same one-year period increased by 31%, to 1,358,253 from 1,036,845.
Fraud Statistics
In 2025, the most common of the 10 categories of fraud complaints defined by the FTC involved imposter scams. In this type of scam, a criminal claims to represent a trusted organization, such a business or a government agency, to trick victims into transferring money or disclosing personal information.
More than 1,005,012 imposter scam complaints were filed in 2025, an increase of nearly 19% from the number reported in 2024.
The second most common category of fraud reported in 2025 was online shopping scams, including failure to deliver items purchased through online retailers or auctions. This category had more than 419,000 complaints—an increase of 7.7% compared with 2024.
| Type of Fraud | Number of Reports | Median Amount Lost | Total Amount Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imposter scams | 1,005,012 | $700 | $3.51 billion |
| Online shopping and negative reviews | 419,098 | $117 | $446.4 million |
| Internet services | 193,911 | $300 | $209.3 million |
| Business and job opportunities | 157,841 | $2,008 | $906.8 million |
| Investment-related scams | 143,918 | $10,400 | $7.93 billion |
| Telephone and mobile services | 96,844 | $280 | $65.5 million |
| Health care | 82,868 | $275 | $77.7 million |
| Prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries | 70,901 | $780 | $303.6 million |
| Travel, vacations and timeshare plans | 64,342 | $700 | $297.0 million |
| Advance-fee credit scams | 51,327 | $768 | $100.8 million |
Source: FTC
Identity Theft Statistics
The FTC and affiliated agencies fielded 1,358,253 complaints of identity theft in 2025, which is 19.6% more than the 1,135,265 logged in 2024.
The most common form of identity theft was hijacked and newly opened bogus credit card accounts. This category prompted 597,770 complaints in 2025, an increase of 33% from 449,094 in 2024.
| Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Credit card | 597,770 |
| Other identity theft | 443,118 |
| Loan or lease | 210,030 |
| Bank account | 114,244 |
| Employment- or tax-related | 81,889 |
| Phone or utilities | 79,476 |
| Government documents or benefits | 65,720 |
Source: FTC
How Scammers Engage Victims
Most of the fraud complaints made to the FTC and affiliated agencies in 2025 (58%) specified the communication channel criminals used to connect with their victims.
The most widely used method, text message, was cited in 411,424 reports and led to median financial losses of $1,000 per victim.
Email was the second most widely cited engagement method, with 361,081 cases and median losses of $415. Phone calls were the third most common contact method, but they had the highest median losses at $1,835.
| Category | Number of Complaints | Total Losses | Median Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text | 411,424 | $639M | $1,000 |
| 361,081 | $569M | $415 | |
| Phone call | 290,427 | $1,108M | $1,835 |
| Website and app | 221,923 | $1,116M | $169 |
| Social media | 197,776 | $2,053M | $300 |
| Other | 182,963 | $1,318M | $550 |
| Online ad | 47,522 | $265M | $130 |
| 46,674 | $102M | $850 |
Source: FTC
Identity Theft Statistics by State
Ranked by number of complaints filed per 100,000 residents, Florida was first among states and U.S. territories in 2025, with 728—or a total of 159,554 complaints for the year—up nearly 38% from 2024.
Georgia ranked second with 691 complaints per 100,000 residents, or a total of 74,796 for the year—roughly 34% more than the 55,956 complaints logged there in 2024.
Rounding out the ranks of the top five states for ID theft complaints by population were Nevada, Texas and Louisiana.
How Quickly Can You Tell if Your Identity Was Stolen?
The 2025 Consumer Impact - Business Impact Report from the nonprofit Identity Theft Research Center (ITRC) surveyed a random sampling of the 4,122 identity fraud victims who sought help from the ITRC between August 2024 and July 2025, as well as a representative sampling of U.S. consumers who reported being victims of identity theft but did not consult the ITRC.
Asked how long it took to resolve their identity fraud issues:
- A small portion of victims (13%) who consulted the ITRC reported resolving their issues within one week.
- A portion (40%) reported the identity fraud issues took at least a week to one year to resolve.
- Nearly half (48%) of ITRC victims reported issues were still ongoing at the time of the survey.
In contrast, among victims who did not consult the ITRC:
- A larger portion (35%) reported that it took one week or less to resolve the issues.
- A majority (60%) reported the identity fraud issues took at least a week to one year to resolve.
- Few (6%) were still resolving their issues at the time of the survey.
What Should You Do if You're an Identity Theft Victim?
If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, it's important to act as quickly as possible to stem potential damage. The following steps are a good way to begin:
- Report the fraud. Submit a report about the theft to the FTC's IdentityTheft.gov website or call the FTC's toll-free hotline at 877-438-4338.
- Protect your credit. You have the right to place a fraud alert or security freeze on your credit reports. A fraud alert asks lenders to verify your identity before processing new credit applications. A security freeze, also known as a credit freeze, restricts the use of your credit report and effectively blocks all new credit applications (including legitimate ones you may wish to make) until you suspend it.
- Contact financial institutions and lenders you work with. If fraudulent accounts have been created in your name, alert existing lenders and banks so they know to look for indicators of additional theft or fraud.
- Review bank and credit card statements carefully after discovering fraud or identity theft. Unfamiliar transactions and even small discrepancies could indicate criminal activity. You should report them immediately to trigger a bank investigation.
- If necessary, notify the IRS. If you are the victim of tax-related ID theft, such as someone filing your tax return in your name to fraudulently collect your refund, contact the IRS as quickly as possible.
How to Protect Yourself From Identity Theft
Proven measures for protecting yourself from identity theft include the following:
- Secure electronic devices. Activate automatic screen lock on your cellphone, tablet or laptop and activate face or fingerprint recognition, if available, to prevent criminals from accessing your device if they get their hands on it.
- Use multifactor authentication. Take advantage of this security measure if it's offered by financial institutions, health care providers and other companies you trust with your personal and fiscal information. Multifactor authentication adds a step to your account login process—typically requiring entry of a code sent to your phone—but can be very effective in thwarting digital break-in attempts.
- Use a password manager. Using and reusing passwords that can be easily guessed, or that have been stolen and shared by criminals on the hidden dark web, puts your personal accounts at risk. A password manager can be used to generate and store highly secure passwords that no one could easily guess (or remember), which can help you keep your accounts locked down.
- Check credit reports regularly. Reviewing your credit reports on a regular basis can help you spot suspicious activity, such as accounts you don't recognize and unfamiliar hard inquiries, which may indicate criminals are trying to apply for credit in your name. You can get your Experian credit report for free anytime, and free credit reports from all three national credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) weekly at AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Don't store credit card information online. Data breaches that expose customer data, including credit card numbers, account usernames and passwords, have become an all too regular occurrence. Saving your credit card information for future checkouts can increase the risk that your information will be stolen.
- Consider identity theft protection. Monitoring services such as those included with an Experian premium membership can alert you to activity on your credit reports and financial accounts so you can detect potential fraud early and take quick action.
The Bottom Line
Fraud and identity theft remain major concerns in the U.S., with related financial losses in 2025 reaching an all-time annual high of $15.8 billion. Awareness and preparation are your best defenses against becoming a victim, and tools such as free credit monitoring from Experian can help you spot criminal activity and shut it down before it does lasting harm.