3 in 5 Americans Feel AI Will Increase ID Theft Crimes in 2025

Identity theft is already one of the most common crimes in the country. It is so common that the Federal Trades Commission declared December “Identity Theft Awareness Month.”

To promote awareness and prevention, Debt.com surveyed 1,000 Americans on their experiences with cybercrime. More than 60% said, “AI will contribute to an increase in ID theft crimes in 2025.” There are three ways they believe cyber thieves will nefariously use technology:

• 29%: Deepfakes – AI used to impersonate audio and video recordings of coworkers, family members, and friends.
• 21%: Generative AI – technology used to create social media profiles that look real, including texts, images, and videos.
• 28%: AI-powered password cracking – technology that analyzes large amounts of data to identify patterns and make predictions to break into passwords.

More than 4 in 10 (43%) have already experienced identity theft. Roughly 1 in 5 (23%) have a child or know a minor who has been a victim of identity theft.

For 23%, identity theft cost them at least $500 in stolen money or to fix the problem.

Click here for full survey results

Have you ever been a victim of identity theft?
Yes	43.10%
No	56.90%

How did you feel when you realized your identity was stolen?
Vulnerable – I was nervous about what could happen to my finances.	25.52%
Apathetic – Identity theft is so common.	4.97%
Embarrassed – I couldn’t believe I didn’t do more to protect myself.	4.77%
Paranoid – I became more conscientious of where I used my credit card.	7.05%
Proactive – I called every financial service to report the loss.	7.85%
N/A	49.85%

Has your child or a family member’s child been a victim of identity theft?
Yes	23.34%
No	56.80%
N/A	19.86%

How did you feel when you realized your child’s (or friend/family member’s child’s) identity was stolen?
Vulnerable – I was nervous about what could happen to my finances.	17.18%
Apathetic – Identity theft is so common.	5.46%
Embarrassed – I couldn’t believe I didn’t do more to protect myself.	2.48%
Paranoid – I became more conscientious of where I used my credit card.	6.55%
Proactive – I called every financial service to report the loss.	3.48%
N/A	64.85%

How much money did this theft cost you, in both money lost and spent fixing the problem?
$0-$50	13.60%
$51-$500	11.92%
$501-$1,000	9.63%
$1,001-$2,500	6.26%
$2,501-$4,000	3.28%
$4,001-$5,500	1.39%
$5,501-$7,000	0.89%
$7,001+	1.79%
N/A	51.24%

Did your identity theft cause you to go into debt?
Yes	13.51%
No	37.04%
N/A	49.45%

How much debt did you take on due to identity theft?
$0-$250	16.78%
$251-$500	10.13%
$501+	8.54%
N/A	64.55%

Has identity theft had a negative impact on your credit score?
Yes	17.48%
No	31.28%
N/A	51.24%

How much did your credit score drop because of your identity theft?
Not at all	21.35%
10-20 point drop	7.25%
21-50 point drop	7.85%
51-100 point drop	3.77%
101-200 point drop	1.89%
My credit score dropped more than 200 points	1.59%
N/A	56.31%

What type of identity theft did you suffer from?
Bank fraud	10.03%
Credit card fraud	26.71%
Loan fraud	3.67%
Phone fraud	3.28%
Tax fraud	1.59%
AI created fraud	1.09%
N/A	53.62%

Do you feel AI will contribute to an increase in identity theft crimes in 2025?
Yes	60.28%
No	14.10%
N/A	25.62%

What type of AI do you believe will contribute to increasing identity theft crimes?
Deepfakes	28.90%
Generative AI	21.05%
AI-powered password cracking	27.51%
N/A	22.54%

Do you currently use a credit monitoring or ID theft protection service?
Yes	51.04%
No	34.56%
N/A	14.40%

If your identity was stolen, were you taking any of the following steps for protection?
Password protection on laptops and smartphones	38.73%
Use strong passwords	43.59%
Regularly change passwords	21.25%
Credit freeze	25.12%
Shred financial documents	18.97%
Avoid clicking suspicious links	36.84%
Avoid public Wi-Fi	21.75%
N/A	37.14%

If your identity was stolen, how did you find out?
Noticed withdrawals from my bank account that I didn’t make.	19.86%
Had missing bills or other mail.	8.64%
Noticed unfamiliar charges on my credit report.	15.89%
Collectors called about debts that weren’t mine.	9.41%
I was notified that my information was stolen in a data breach.	14.90%
I got an alert of suspicious activity on one of my accounts.	14.40%
N/A	49.65%

Click here for full 2023 survey results

Have you ever been a victim of identity theft?	Yes	No
Percentage of respondents	49.22%	50.78%

If yes, how did you feel when you realized your identity was stolen?	Percentage of respondents
Vulnerable, I was nervous about what could happen to my finances.	69.05%
Apathetic, identity theft is so common. I was sure the problem would resolve itself.	17.66%
Embarrassed, I couldn’t believe I didn’t do more to protect myself.	25.99%
Paranoid, I became more conscientious of where I used my credit card information online and in stores.	36.71%
Proactive, I called every credit card company and financial service to report the loss. I immediately purchased ID theft protection.	24.40%
N/A	2.18%

If yes, how much money did this theft cost you, in both money lost and money spent fixing the problem?	Percentage of respondents
$0-$50	21.23%
$51-$500	28.17%
$501-$1,000	18.06%
$1,001-$2,500	11.11%
$2,501-$4,000	5.75%
$4,001-$5,500	4.56%
$5,501-$7,000	3.57%
$7,001 or more	4.56%
N/A	2.98%

Did your identity theft cause you to go into debt?	Yes	No	N/A
Percentage of respondents	35.52%	60.91%	3.57%

If yes, how much debt did you take on due to identity theft?	Percentage of respondents
$0-$250	17.66%
$251-$500	20.44%
$501 or more	17.06%
N/A	44.84%

What type of identity theft did you suffer from?	Percentage of respondents
Bank fraud	19.84%
Credit card fraud	50.40%
Loan fraud	5.56%
Phone fraud	5.75%
Phishing scam	6.15%
Tax fraud	3.17%
Other	7.74%
N/A	1.39%

Were you surprised to find you were a target of identity theft?	Yes	No	N/A
Percentage of respondents	79.37%	17.66%	2.98%

Has identity theft had a negative impact on your credit score?	Yes	No	N/A
Percentage of respondents	41.47%	54.17%	4.37%

If yes, how much did your credit score drop because of your identity theft?	Percentage of respondents
Not at all	24.80%
10-20 point drop	13.69%
21-50 point drop	12.90%
51-100 point drop	10.91%
101-200 point drop	5.56%
My credit score dropped more than 200 points	3.57%
N/A	28.57%

Do you currently use a credit monitoring or identity theft protection service?	Yes	No
Percentage of respondents	73.02%	26.98%

Click here for full 2022 survey results

Have you ever been a victim of identity theft?	Yes	No
Percentage of respondents	45.45%	54.55%

If yes, how did you feel when you realized your identity was stolen?	Percentage of respondents
Vulnerable, I was nervous about what could happen to my finances.	63.26%
Apathetic, identity theft is so common. I was sure the problem would resolve itself.	15.03%
Embarrassed, I couldn’t believe I didn’t do more to protect myself.	17.54%
Paranoid, I became more conscientious of where I used my credit card information online and in stores.	34.03%
Proactive, I called every credit card company and financial service to report the loss. I immediately purchased ID theft protection.	22.55%
N/A	3.13%

If yes, how much money did this theft cost you, in both money lost and money spent fixing the problem?	Percentage of respondents
$0-$50	27.14%
$51-$500	29.65%
$501-$1,000	16.70%
$1,001-$2,500	9.39%
$2,501-$4,000	5.85%
$4,001-$5,500	1.46%
$5,501-$7,000	2.30%
$7,001 or more	2.51%
N/A	5.01%

Did your identity theft cause you to go into debt?	Yes	No	N/A
Percentage of respondents	24.63%	71.61%	3.76%

If yes, how much debt did you take on due to identity theft?	Percentage of respondents
$0-$250	19.83%
$251-$500	17.12%
$501 or more	11.90%
N/A	51.15%

What type of identity theft did you suffer from?	Percentage of respondents
Bank fraud	17.33%
Credit card fraud	51.98%
Loan fraud	3.76%
Phone fraud	7.10%
Phishing scam	4.59%
Tax fraud	2.51%
Other	10.44%
N/A	2.30%

Were you surprised to find you were a target of identity theft?	Yes	No	N/A
Percentage of respondents	78.50%	17.95%	3.55%

Has identity theft had a negative impact on your credit score?	Yes	No	N/A
Percentage of respondents	31.11%	63.05%	5.85%

If yes, how much did your credit score drop because of your identity theft?	Percentage of respondents
Not at all	30.27%
10-20 point drop	11.27%
21-50 point drop	12.94%
51-100 point drop	7.72%
101-200 point drop	1.88%
My credit score dropped more than 200 points	1.88%
N/A	34.03%

Do you currently use a credit monitoring or identity theft protection service?	Yes	No
Percentage of respondents	61.59%	38.41%

Click here for full 2021 survey results

Have you ever been a victim of identity theft?	Yes	No
Percentage of respondents	40.81%	59.19%

If yes, how much money did this theft cost you, in both money lost and money spent fixing the problem?	Percentage of respondents
$0-$50	18.50%
$50-$500	21.99%
$500-$1,000	20.77%
$1,000-$2,500	14.83%
$2,500-$4,000	7.33%
$4,000-$5,500	3.84%
$5,500-$7,000	1.40%
$7,000 or more	3.84%
N/A	7.50%

Did your identity theft cause you to go into debt?	Yes	No
Percentage of respondents	31.59%	68.41%

If yes, how much debt did you take on due to identity theft?	Percentage of respondents
$0-$250	17.45%
$250-$500	17.28%
$500 or more	14.14%
N/A	51.13%

What type of identity theft did you suffer from?	Percentage of respondents
Bank fraud	19.02%
Credit card fraud	45.90%
Loan fraud	6.63%
Phone fraud	6.81%
Phishing scam	6.98%
Tax fraud	4.54%
Other	8.03%
N/A	2.09%

Were you surprised to find you were a target of identity theft?	Yes	No
Percentage of respondents	83.77%	16.23%

Has identity theft had a negative impact on your credit score?	Yes	No
Percentage of respondents	38.57%	61.43%

If yes, how much did your credit score drop because of your identity theft?	Percentage of respondents
Not at all	56.72%
10-20 point drop	12.39%
21-50 point drop	13.79%
51-100 point drop	8.90%
101-200 point drop	3.84%
My credit score dropped more than 200 points	4.36%

Do you currently use a credit monitoring or identity theft protection service?	Yes	No
Percentage of respondents	63.53%	36.47%

Methodology: Debt.com: Do-It-Yourself Guidance plus Professional Debt Help surveyed 1,007 people asking 15 questions related to identity theft. People responded from all 50 states and Washington, DC, were aged 18 and older, and the population split is weighted against the US census. The survey was conducted on Nov. 26, 2024.