The Identity Theft Resource Center released its fifth annual Trends in Identity Report, which reveals a fundamental shift in the identity crime landscape. The 2026 Trends in Identity Report examines identity concerns reported by victims of identity theft, fraud and scams, as well as by individuals seeking prevention advice. It is supported by the ITRC’s Alliance for Identity Resilience.
In the report, the ITRC outlines the identity crimes reported to the ITRC from April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026, and how criminals convinced people to willingly share information, as well as how stolen information was used to open new accounts.
According to the ITRC’s 2026 Trends in Identity Report, identity crimes have evolved from isolated events into “multi-layered” crises, with 25.6 percent of victims now managing two or more concurrent incidents, up from 23.5 percent the previous year. The report, grounded in the experiences of more than 6,000 individuals, highlights a milestone in compromise methods: for the first time, unauthorized device access has surpassed scams as the primary threat for adults aged 35–64.
Download the ITRC’s 2026 Trends in Identity Report
“Identity crimes are no longer isolated, single events,” said Mona Terry, Chief Operating & Programs Officer for the Identity Theft Resource Center. “They are becoming increasingly complex. It is not just about the number of crimes, but also the pattern they follow. A single compromise can trigger a chain reaction that spreads across multiple accounts and institutions, making it much harder for people to recover.”
Key Findings in the 2026 Trends in Identity Report Include:
- Unauthorized access to computers and mobile devices increased by 78 percent year-over-year from 15.3 percent of all identity compromises to 27.2 percent of all compromises. Over the same period, scams involving the sharing of personal information declined from 43.1 percent to 36.1 percent of compromises.
- While 53 percent of victims with no financial loss reported a resolution, only nine (9) percent of those with any financial impact were able to resolve their cases. Among those who experienced three or more financial impacts, zero (0) percent reported a resolution.
- Fraudulent employment is now the most common crime against minors, accounting for 40 percent of misuse cases for children and dependents.
- Attempted misuse cases caught by financial institutions rose by 26.8 percent, suggesting that while automated fraud detection is improving for credit accounts, systems for employment and government benefits are lagging.
The ITRC also reported the following:
- Account-problems scams are the highest-volume scam type; 74 percent of victims shared high-value personally identifiable information (PII), the highest rate of any scam category. Job and employment scams were the second most common and the most intensive in terms of information harvested.
- Of the attempted misuse cases reported to the ITRC, 62.1 percent involved new account applications, and 37.9 percent involved attempted account takeovers. Credit cards accounted for 41 percent of all attempted misuse by account type, followed by checking accounts at 17.7 percent and personal loans at eight-point-five (8.5) percent.
- Colorado residents reported the highest rate of multi-layered incidents (49 percent), while Illinois saw nearly triple the national average for fraudulent employment.
“Every finding in the 2026 Trends in Identity Report comes from the experiences of people who turned to the ITRC for help,” Terry said. “We hear from so many victims who feel overwhelmed and have nowhere else to turn for support. That is exactly why we do this work. We provide the expert, one-on-one assistance people need to find a clear path forward at no cost.”
