Victims of Identity Theft, 2021

• NCJ Number: 306474
• Date Published: October 2023
• Author(s): Erika Harrell; Alexandra Thompson
• Length: 31 pages
• Publication Series: BJS Bulletins
• Agencies: BJS
• Publication Type: Publication

Abstract

This report presents data on U.S. residents age 16 or older who reported that they had been victims of identity theft in the 2021 Identity Theft Supplement (ITS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). Data include types of identity theft, demographics of the victims and the ways they discovered the theft, financial losses incurred, and steps taken after the theft.

Highlights:

• In 2021, about 23.9 million people (9% of U.S. residents age 16 or older) had been victims of identity theft during the prior 12 months.
• For 76% of identity-theft victims in 2021, the most recent incident involved the misuse of only one type of existing account, such as a credit card or bank account.
• About 59% of identity-theft victims had financial losses of $1 or more that totaled $16.4 billion in 2021.
• In 2021, about 2% of persons age 16 or older experienced the misuse of an existing email or social media account.