Scam-o-Meter: Identity crime victims now face multiple attacks at once

Key insights

The ITRC report opens in a new tab shows how identity crime is changing — here’s what stood out:

• More than one in four identity crime victims (25.6%) were dealing with two or more incidents, up from 23.5% the previous year. Nearly 6% were managing four incidents or more.
• The more incidents, the more likely account takeover becomes. Among people dealing with a single identity crime incident, 18% experienced account takeover. Among those facing two incidents, the rate jumped to 51%, and at four or more incidents, it reached 80%.
• Incidents feed each other. When a criminal takes over your email or phone account, they can intercept the security alerts that would otherwise warn you about new fraudulent accounts being opened in your name.
• Device takeover is surging. Unauthorized access to phones and computers now accounts for 27.2% of all identity compromises — a 78% jump from the prior year. For the first time, unauthorized access overtook scams as the leading form of identity compromise among working-age adults.
• Unlike a scam, device takeover can happen without your active involvement. A phishing scam typically requires a conversation and a moment of trust. Unauthorized device access often happens without you knowing — and by the time you notice, the criminal may already be inside your banking, email, and social media accounts.
• The financial damage piles up too. Most victims were managing three to four financial consequences at once, including being unable to pay bills, losing savings, and going without necessities.
• More harm means less chance of recovery. Among victims with no financial impact, 53% reached a resolution. Among those facing three or more financial impacts, the resolution rate was effectively zero.

What our expert says

To stay ahead of multi-front attacks, Tomas Sinicki, managing director at Coveron, recommends that you:

• Regularly revoke permissions for apps you don’t use daily.
• Use a separate email address only for password recovery — if criminals take over your main inbox, they can’t use it to reset passwords on your other accounts.
• Freeze your credit files with the major credit bureaus — it blocks criminals from opening new accounts in your name.
• Treat unexpected password reset emails or sudden app logouts as immediate red flags of a coordinated attack.
• For daily protection from scams and identity theft, use reliable identity theft protection that offers online fraud insurance.

Methodology and sources

The findings come from the Identity Theft Resource Center’s 2026 Trends in Identity Report. All data is based on 9,253 cases from 6,188 individuals who contacted the ITRC between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. The ITRC notes that this reflects people who sought the center’s help and is not representative of all identity crime victims. Financial impact figures come from a voluntary follow-up survey of 147 victims.

What is Scam-o-Meter?

Scam-o-Meter is an ongoing Coveron series where we keep track of online fraud. In each installment, we look at different scam or fraud trends, break down how they work, and share practical tips on how to protect yourself. We also share the latest data from trusted industry reports — like this one from the ITRC.