The Rising Financial and Emotional Toll of Identity Crime
- Roy Urrico
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Roy Urrico
The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), in its 2025 Consumer Impact Report, supported by Experian, reveals rising financial and emotional impacts from identity theft, fraud and scams, as well as an increase in repeat attacks and other concerns, while overall reports of identity misuse declined slightly.
For the report, the ITRC, the El Cajon, Calif.-based national nonprofit organization that supports victims of identity crime, surveyed victims who contacted the ITRC directly and general consumers who were identity crime victims. “This year, the data tells a profoundly urgent and human story that demands a fundamental shift in our collective understanding. Our 2025 Consumer Impact Report presents a sobering new reality: the severity of the harm inflicted on victims has escalated to a crisis point,” asserted the report.
The report highlighted that ITRC victims (those that contacted the ITRC directly) often face substantial financial losses. More than 20% reported losses exceeding $100,000, and more than 10% lost at least $1 million. In 2025, 36.9% of self-identified victims in the general population reported losses exceeding $10,000. However, a larger proportion of the general population victims experienced lower-value crimes with 19.6% reported losses under $500 in 2025.
“We have uncovered alarming trends in relation to the human costs of identity crimes,” said Eva Velasquez, CEO of the ITRC. “It is a signal that support is crucial for victims. It is a call for action for policymakers, financial institutions, technology companies and consumers. The people being harmed are real. Their pain is real. For them, we should respond with humanity and urgency and confront the crisis head-on.”
“Technology continues to reshape the identity crime landscape as both a tool for protection and a weapon for exploitation. The 2025 Consumer Impact Report highlights how artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly perceived as a threat, yet it also holds promise for strengthening defenses. At Experian, we are committed to harnessing the power of innovation responsibly, helping consumers stay ahead of evolving risks while supporting them through recovery with empathy and expertise,” said Michael Bruemmer, vice president of Experian Global Breach Data Resolution and Consumer Protection.
The Emotional Toll
The study uncovered how identity crimes, such as a social media account takeover, are no longer mere inconveniences. “As our report states, ‘a seemingly contained digital compromise can now lock a victim out of essential economic activities, causing a level of harm disproportionate to the original misuse.’” The report also noted, “We are seeing victims denied loans, housing and other basic necessities, all stemming from an initial compromise that many would dismiss as minor.”
The report observed: “The repercussions of identity crime extend far beyond financial statements, inflicting deep and lasting wounds on the emotional and physical well-being of victims.” For example, approximately 25% of the total number of respondents answered “Yes” when asked if they had “seriously considered self-harm as a way of dealing with your identity theft, fraud or scam.” When considering only those who self-identified as a victim, 67.8% responded “Yes.”
Among victims who contacted the ITRC, 14.4% of the group answered “Yes” to the identical question, a more than two percentage point increase from 2024. The report said, “The ITRC believes the massive shift in numbers between the two populations is due to ITRC victims taking a crucial step to seek help. In contrast, the general population victims are far more likely to navigate the crisis alone.”
Key Takeaways
The report provided key takeaways:
Financial and emotional impacts are increasing across the board. Criminals are monetizing stolen identities at a higher rate, successfully stealing larger sums from all types of victims. Significantly more victims are contemplating self-harm as a result of their experiences.
Increasing repeat attacks. Criminals are increasingly targeting previous victims multiple times. Out of the general population victims in 2025, 31.5% reported as repeat victims, and 24.6% were thrice victims within the past year. The ITRC victim cohort also demonstrated a high rate of repeat victimization.
Social media takeover is the top threat for the general public. For the general population, social media account takeover has become the most commonly reported form of identity misuse.
High-risk victims face more complex financial crimes. In contrast to the general population, ITRC victims predominantly become targeted for more complex and financially oriented crimes.
Concern about AI is high. More than two-thirds of identity theft, fraud and scam victims see AI as a primary battleground for identity security going forward. The potential risks and benefits of AI divide them.
From August 2024 to July 2025, the ITRC responded to requests for direct assistance from 4,122 individuals seeking help with addressing the impacts of identity theft, fraud and scams, as well as requests for identity protection information. In August 2025, the ITRC sent emails to a representative sample of those individuals who self-identified as victims, 4% of whom responded by completing an online survey questionnaire administered by SurveyMonkey.
To get a broader view of the trends and impacts affecting consumers in general, the report asked similar questions to a group of 1,033 general consumers who may or may not have been a victim of an identity crime and who had not contacted the ITRC.
