Crimes Become ‘Multi-Layered’ as Hacked Devices Overtake Scams in ITRC Identity Trends Report
- Roy Urrico
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Roy Urrico
In its recently released 2026 Trends in Identity Report the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), uncovered three patterns emerging to reshape the identity landscape: Identity crimes are becoming multi-layered, unauthorized device access has overtaken scams as the primary compromise method; and the recovery system continues to fail the people who suffer the greatest financial harm.
“Each year, the data reported to the ITRC reveals not just what is happening, but how identity crime is evolving,” the 2026 Trends in Identity Report revealed. “This year, three patterns emerged that we believe will shape the identity landscape. These aren’t predictions – they are patterns we are seeing now, grounded in the experiences of the 6,188 individuals who contacted us during this reporting period.”
The ITRC, an El Cajon, Calif.-based national nonprofit organization that supports victims of identity theft, fraud and scams, gathered the information from April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026. The report is supported by the ITRC’s Alliance for Identity Resilience.
“When someone contacts the Identity Theft Resource Center, they are often navigating a mix of confusion, frustration and uncertainty. Some know exactly what happened. Many do not. What they share with us is that they feel overwhelmed, unsure where to start and, in many cases, unsupported by the institutions they contacted before reaching us. They are looking for someone who understands what they are facing and can help them figure out what to do next,” said Mona Terry, Chief Operating and Programs Officer, ITRC.
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The 2026 Trends in Identity Report discovered three patterns emerged:
Identity crimes are becoming multi-layered. What used to involve a single event such as a stolen credit card number, a fraudulent charge, or a compromised account changed. More than one in four individuals (25.6%) who contacted the ITRC were dealing with two or more identity incidents, up from 23.5% the prior year. Nearly six percent (6%) were managing four or more. “What’s significant isn’t just the volume; it’s the pattern. When we look at individuals based on how many incidents they faced, the nature of the crime changes at every level,” said the report. Among individuals with a single incident, 18% experienced account takeover. Among those with two incidents, that number jumped to 51%. At three incidents, it is 68%. At four or more, 80%. Unauthorized device access follows a similar path, rising from 6% for single-incident individuals to 40% for those with four or more.
Device access has overtaken scams as the primary compromise for working-age adults. For the first time in the ITRC’s reporting history, unauthorized access to a computer or mobile device surpassed scams as the leading compromise method for adults between the ages of 35 and 64. Overall, device access now accounts for 27.2% of all identity compromises reported to the ITRC – a 78% increase from the prior year, when it accounted for 15.3% of all compromises. Over the same period, scams involving the sharing of personal information declined from 43.1% to 36.1% of compromises. “This shift is notable because the two compromise types work very differently. A scam requires the victim’s participation: a conversation, a moment of trust, a decision to share information. Device access does not.”
The recovery system fails victims who suffer financial harm. The ITRC hears from individuals at every stage of the identity crime experience – from the person who just realized something is wrong to the person who has been navigating the aftermath for months. “For the past several years, the ITRC has collected feedback from victims on the financial and emotional impacts of their experiences. This year, for the first time, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of that data for this report. What we found confirms what our advisors have long observed: The system works reasonably well for people whose identity crime was caught early and caused limited damage. For everyone else, it falls short.”Among the 147 victims who completed ITRC’s financial impact survey, those who experienced crimes involving their personal information were typically managing three to four cascading financial consequences at once, including an inability to pay regular bills, depleted savings, reliance on public assistance and going without necessities. Noted the trends report, “Scam victims face a different but equally serious financial reality. While our survey measures ongoing financial disruption rather than direct financial loss, our advisors work with scam victims every day whose savings have been depleted with no path to recover them, particularly older adults who may not have the ability to rebuild what was taken.”
The ITRC Trends Report stated the most troubling finding is what happens when victims seek resolution. Among those with no measurable financial impact, 53% reported that their concern was ultimately resolved. Among those with any financial impact, that number drops to 9%. Among those who experienced three or more financial impacts, no one –0% – reported a resolution. “While our survey sample is small (147 respondents), the pattern is consistent with what our advisors observe across thousands of interactions.”
