Identity Theft Statistics

A report released by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in February of 2007 showed that the number of Sentinel complaints for ID Theft and Fraud reached 674,354.

The Sentinel is an international fraud-fighting program used by law enforcement all over the world to research, report and combat fraud.

See the Sentinel Top Complaint Categories

Click the map for Texas or US statistics.

Idenity Theft Victims by State

(Per 100,000 Population)

Less Than 60

60 - 80

More Than 80

Texas ID Theft Statistics:

How Victims' Information is Misused

Identity Theft Complaints by Victim Age

Number of Victims in Large Metropolitan Areas

Number of Months Between Date of Identity Theft First Occurred and Date First Discovered by Victim

Percentages are based on the total number of complaints in the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse for the 2006 calendar year: 26,600 from Texas victims and 246,035 from victims in all locations. Note that 18% of identity theft complaints from Texas victims and from victims in all locations include more than one type of identity theft.

Top Identity Theft Cities in Texas
City	No. of victims
1. Houston	3,735
2. Dallas	1,908
3. San Antonio	1,706
4. Fort Worth	1,105
5. Austin	858

How ID Theft Victims' Information is Misused

Credit Card Fraud

Phone or Utilities Fraud

Bank Fraud

Employment - Related Fraud

Government Documents or Benefits Fraud

Loan Fraud

Other Identity Theft

Percentages are based on the Federal Trade Comission's total number of Identity Theft complaints for the 2006 calendar year. Note that percentages add to more than 100 because 18% of victims reported experienceing more than one type of identity theft.

Back to Texas ID Theft Statistics


Theft Subtype	Percentages in Texas	Percentages in all other states
New Accounts Existing Accounts Unspecified Total	12.3% 7.8% 0.1% 20%	15.2% 10.7% 0.2% 25%
Percentages are based on the total number of complaints in the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse for the 2006 calendar year: 26,006 from Texas and 246,035 from victims in all locations. Back to Top

Theft Subtype	Percentages in Texas	Percentages in all other states
Wireless - New Accounts Utilities - New Accounts Telephone - New Accounts Unauthorized Charges Unspecified Total	6.7% 5.8% 3.6% 0.5% 0.4% 15%	7.2% 5.8% 4.4% 0.7% 0.5% 16%
Percentages are based on the total number of complaints in the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse for the 2006 calendar year: 26,006 from Texas and 246,035 from victims in all locations. Back to Top

Theft Subtype	Percentages in Texas	Percentages in all other states
Electronic Fund Transfer Existing Accounts New Accounts Unspecified Total	6.8% 9.4% 3.0% 0.1% 18%	8% 5.8% 3.1% 0.1% 16%
Percentages are based on the total number of complaints in the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse for the 2006 calendar year: 26,006 from Texas and 246,035 from victims in all locations. Back to Top

Theft Subtype	Percentages in Texas	Percentages in all other states
Employment Related Fraud	25%	14%
Percentages are based on the total number of complaints in the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse for the 2006 calendar year: 26,006 from Texas and 246,035 from victims in all locations. Back to Top

Theft Subtype	Percentages in Texas	Percentages in all other states
Fraudulent Tax Return Filed Driver's License Issued/Forged Gov. Benefits Applied For/Received Other Gov. Documents Issued/Forged Unspecified Total	5.9% 1.7% 1.2% 0.7% <0.1% 9%	6.2% 1.4% 1.3% 0.9% <0.9% 10%%
Percentages are based on the total number of complaints in the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse for the 2006 calendar year: 26,006 from Texas and 246,035 from victims in all locations. Back to Top

Theft Subtype	Percentages in Texas	Percentages in all other states
Business/Personal/Student Loan Auto Loan/ Lease Real Estate Loan Unspecified Total	2.4% 1.8% 1.3% 0.2% 5%	2.5% 1.7% 1.3% 0.2% 5%
Percentages are based on the total number of complaints in the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse for the 2006 calendar year: 26,006 from Texas and 246,035 from victims in all locations. Back to Top

Theft Subtype	Percentages in Texas	Percentages in all other states
Uncertain Miscellanueous Internet/ Email Evading the Law Medical Apartment or House Rented Insurance Property Rental Fraud Securities/Other Investments Child Support Bankruptcy Magazines Total	10.6% 3.4% 1.4% 2.4% 1.9% 1.2% 0.4% 0.3% 0.1% 0.3% 0.2% 0.1% 22%	12% 4.6% 2.2% 2.1% 1.9% 0.9% 0.4% 0.3% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 24%
Percentages are based on the total number of complaints in the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse for the 2006 calendar year: 26,006 from Texas and 246,035 from victims in all locations. Back to Top
Attempted Identity Theft
Theft Subtype	Percentages in Texas	Percentages in all other states
Attempted Identity Theft	5%	6%
Percentages are based on the total number of complaints in the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse for the 2006 calendar year: 26,006 from Texas and 246,035 from victims in all locations. Back to Top

ID Theft Complaints by Victim Age

Underage Victim - 3% of Identity Theft Victims in Texas were under the age of 18. In all other states, underage victims made up 5% of Identity Theft complaints.

Victims ages 18-29 - In Texas, 34% of victims were between the ages of 18-29. This age group also exhibited the highest levels of reported complaints in all other states, with up to 29% of overall complaints.

Victims ages 30-39 - 25% of Texas victims were between the ages of 30-39 with complaints in all other states reaching 23% for the same age group.

Victims ages 40-49 - 18% of reported complaints in Texas came from adults between the ages of 40-49. In all other states, this age group accounted for 20% of identity theft complaints.

Victims ages 50-59 - 11% of Identity Theft complaints were reported by adults between the ages of 50-59 in Texas and 13% were reported by the same age group in all other states.

Victims ages 60-64 - Only 3% of Texas victims were between the ages of 60-64. In all other states, the same age group reported 4% off all Identity Theft complaints.

Victims 65 and Over - Although popular belief is that older Americans are most often victimized, only 5% of overall Identity Theft complaints were from adults 65 and over. Across the country, that age group only reported 6% of overall complaints.

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Number of Victims in Large Metropolitan Areas
Metropolitan Area	Complaints
Dallas-Forth Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area	7,594
San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area	2,331
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area	1,693
Austin -Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area	1,582
Brownsville-Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area	873
Laredo Metropolitan Statistical Area	464
Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area	603
Federal Trade Commission Released February 7,2007

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Number of Months Between Date ID Theft First Ocurred and Date First Discovered by Victim

45 % of victims discovered they were victims of Identity Theft less than 1 month from the date Identity Theft first occured.

17% realized they had been victimized 1 to 6 months from the date their Identity was first tampered with.

It took 7% of victims 7 to 12 months to discover the crime.

9% of vctims discovered the theft 13 to 24 months after it first occurred.

11% of victims took 25 to 48 months to realize their identity had been tampered with.

3% of victims discovered their identities were stolen 49 to 60 months after the first occurance of the crime.

It took 9% of victims over 60 months to discover the identity theft crime.

Percentages are based on the total number of Identity Theft complaints where victims provided the dates on which the identity theft first occurred and they first discovered it (123,064). 52% of the victims who contacted the FTC directly reported this information. Because some victims experienced multiple instances where their information had been misused, these figures do not track the amount of time it took a victim to discover a particular instance of identity theft, but, rather, the amount of time between the initial misuse of the victim's information and when the victim first discovered that their information had been misused.

Back to Texas ID Theft Statistics

US ID Theft Statistics

Identity Theft Victims by State (Per 100,000 Population)

Sentinel Complaints by Calendar Year

Sentinel Top Complaint Categories

Total Identity Theft Records by Calendar Year

How Victims Information is Misused

Identity Theft Complaints by Victim Age

Largest Metropolitan Areas Rankings

Identity Theft Victims by State (Per 100,000 Population)