2023消费者影响报告.pdf

AUGUST 2023This report was made possiblethrough the support of Experian.Table of ContentsLetter from the CEO02Additional Consumer Resources13About the ITRC&Experian14About the 2023 ConsumerImpact Report04Demographics05Actions12Key Takeaways8In Their Own Words10Summary of Key Findings7Consumer&Business Resources152023 Impact of Identity Crimes Study17Appendix161 IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER 2023|IDTHEFTCENTER.ORGCEO LetterFor the past ten years,Ive penned report introductions to highlight the broad range of impacts of identity crimes on people.Normally,at this point,Id go into a review of anumber of statistics that show how identity criminals continue to fjnd ways to take advantage of people and their personalinformation.Not this year.There will be a lot of statistics to pour over later in this report,but now I want to draw yourattention to one number:16 percent(16%).Thats the number of identity crime victims who have contacted the ITRC in the past year who say they have considered suicide as a result of having their identities misused.For context,the number of U.S.residents(excluding unsheltered people)who say they have contemplated taking their own lives for any reason is fjve percent(5%)according to government estimates.The number of identity crime victims who say they have considered suicide has been steadily increasing after nearly two decades in the two to four percent(2%-4%)range.Then in 2020,during the pandemic,we saw the number ofsuicidal victims jump to eight percent(8%).In 2021,that number grew again to 10 percent(10%).The overall suicide rate in the general population also grew through the pandemic to approximately 5 percent(5%),including three percent(3%)in 2022.Figure 1The fact the number of identity crime victims considering self-harm increased during the pan-demic was no surprise,but the fact the rate has continued to climb is.And,the trend begs the question why?We dont have a great deal of independent information to guide us to adefjnitive answer,but we can hazard someeducated guesses based on our research and our daily contact with victims every day for more than 20 years.+The rise of sophisticated social engineering scams phishing,Business Email Compromise(BEC),social media account takeover to name a few-is a likely contributor to the stress of victims.Once almost laughably bad spoofed websites,texts and emails are now letter perfect and have been joined by highly sophisticated voice mail and direct contact attacks.This is before weve seen generative AI deployed at scale which will also make it more diffjcult to spot phishing and other social engineering attacks.+An increase in very large dollar losses due to social engineering in various identity scams.For the fjrst time at the ITRC we are consistently seeing six-fjgure losses in romance and social media scams,often involving cryptocurrency or other investment schemes.Figure 1|Percentage of Identity Crime Victims Whove Considered Suicide20208%202110%202216%2 IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER 2023|IDTHEFTCENTER.ORG+Everyone is vulnerable under the right set of circumstances,yet the discussion around identity crime victimization is either dismissive,judgmental or both.The language used when talking with victims and when talking ABOUT victims,particularly by the media and many cyber experts,can create more shame and embarrassment.From comments like“whats the big deal,its not as bad a violent crime”to statements about victims being“duped”and“falling for”creates an environment where victims feel at fault and invalidated.In all of these instances,the feelings of shame and guilt can be overwhelming for the victims of these crimes.The loss of trust and security can also be life-changing.Some ITRC victims shared:Eva Velasquez,CEOIdentity Theft Resource CenterAugust 2023Regardless of the reasons,there are still far too few resources to assist far too many identity crime victims.Too many victims are shunned by organizations that should support them and ignored by government agencies that are too short-staffed or ill-equipped to help them.I hope you read this report thoroughly and refmect on the need to fundamentally change the way we support identity crime victims.That is our mission,every day.We hope you will join us to ensure no victim ever believes ending their life is the only way out of a crisis.I isolated myself from everyone and still do because I cant make ends meet,cant get help or assistance,and I feel like an idiot.I am worried about being on social media,of making social media posts,or about people fjnding the untrue content online.National Suicide Prevention LifelineIn 2020,Congress designated the new988 dialing code to be operated through the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.If you or someone you know is the victim of an identity crime that is likely to harmthemselves,call or text 988 or chat988lifeline.org for crisis support.3 IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER 2023|IDTHEFTCENTER.ORGAbout the 2023 Consumer Impact ReportThe purpose of the ITRC Consumer Impact Report,though,is to draw attention to the full spectrum of emotional,physical and practical effects on the day-to-day lives of victims,including lost opportunities.In 2022,the ITRC responded to requests for direct assistance from 14,817 individualsseeking help with addressing the impacts of compromised or misused identity credentials,as well as requests for information on how to prevent becoming a victim of an identity crime.You can download the full Trends in IdentityReport here,published in May 2023,to learn more about the current and emerging types of identity issues that victims have faced in the past year.Using the fjndings revealed in the Trends study as a guide,this year,we sought to gain additional insight from a random sample of victims who had contacted the ITRC.We specifjcally asked about actions they had taken to protect their personal information before and after they learned their identities had been compromised and/or misused.This Consumer Impact Report refmects the responses of 144 victims whocontacted the ITRC between January 2022 and December 2022.To get a broader view of the trends and impacts affecting consumers in general,we asked similar questions to a group of 1,048 generalconsumers using Survey Monkey,an onlinesurvey tool.Within that cohort,316 or 30percent(30%)self-identifjed as being the victim of an identity crime in the previous 12 months.In this report,we will,from time to time,make a distinction between“ITRC Victims”people who contacted the ITRC for assistance and“Consumers”,the 316 individuals whoreported being a victim of an identity crime in our online survey,but did not seek assistance from the ITRC.In several instances,we alsorefer to General Consumers,which includesthe full sample of 1,048 consumers from the online survey.For a decade,the Identity Theft Resource Center(ITRC)hassurveyed the identity crimevictims1 who have contacted the ITRC to gauge the impactof identity crimes andcompromises on individuals.Most research in this areafocuses solely on the fjnancial impacts of identity-related crimes,which are substantial.1This report is based on survey responses from two groups of identity crime and compromise victims:Individuals who contacted the ITRC by telephone or live chat and consumers who did not contact the ITRC but who nonetheless were self-reported victims of an identity crime or compromise.An identity crime involves the theft and/or misuse of personal information.4 IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER 2023|IDTHEFTCENTER.ORGThe profjle of“typical”identity crime victims who self-report has not varied signifjcantly since 2019.In the most recentsurvey,about 60 percent(60%)of victims were women;about half(50%)of victims were 45 years of age or older,with the remaining spread evenly across younger adult age groups.More than half of victims self-reported annual income above$50,000 USD,with 26 percent(26%)reporting annual income of more than$100,000 USD;37 percent(37%)reported income of less than$50,000 USD.Figures 2,3 and 4Victims with at least some college or a college degreecontact the ITRC for assistance far more frequently than victims who only have a high school diploma or less.Based on 2021 U.S.Census race and ethnicity data,victims who contacted the ITRC skewed higher than the U.S.population among African-American communities,lower among AsianAmericans/Pacifjc Islanders,and signifjcantly lower among victims of Hispanic origin.The ITRC has recently completed a two-year study ofthe impacts of identity crimes in Black communities.Areport of initial fjndings from our research partner,theBlack Researchers Collective,is available on our website.Our fjnal report Identity in Practice:Understanding Identity Crimes in Black Communities will be released in September 2023.DemographicsFigure 2|Gender,General ConsumersFemale61%Male39%Figure 4|Annual Income,General Consumers37%Less than$50,00032%$50,000$99,99926%$100,000 or More6%Prefer Not to SayFigure 3|Age of Victims,General Consumers21%18 2929%30 4450%45 and Older5 IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER 2023|IDTHEFTCENTER.ORGThe 2023 Consumer Impact Report goes beyond the known fjnancialimplications of identity crimes and explores the lost opportunities,as well asthe emotional,physical and psychological impacts experienced by victims resulting from the crimes.Victims Whove Received2 to 5 Breach NoticesGENERALCONSUMERS23%ITRCVICTIMS33%8%2020202110%202216%ITRC Victims Who Reported Thoughts of SuicideFor context,the number of U.S.residents(excluding unsheltered people)who say they havecontemplatedtaking their own lives for any reason is fjve percent(5%).DoubledSINCE 2020Actions to ProtectPersonal InformationMULTI-FACTORAUTHENTIFICATION59%ITRC VICTIMS53%GENERAL CONSUMERSLOCK SCREENENABLED56%ITRC VICTIMS52%GENERAL CONSUMERSUsing the Same Password Across Multiple AccountsITRCVICTIMS56%GENERAL CONSUMERS59%53%VictimsBegan Using Different Passwords After Their Identity Was Stolen or MisusedThis report was made possiblethrough the support of Experian.How Victims ProtectThemselves on Social MediaLIMIT WHOCAN SEELIMIT WHATSPOSTED65%ITRC Victims59%ITRC Victims57%General Consumers48%General ConsumersNumber of IdentityCrime Attacks80%ITRC VictimsGeneral Consumers0%40%60%20%41%36%69%30%First TimeMore than OnceMore identity crime victims reported losing larger amounts of money than in previous years.Six-fjgure losses are increasingly common.6 IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER 2023|IDTHEFTCENTER.ORGKey TakeawaysIn Their Own WordsSummary of Key FindingsComparative data between self-reported victims of an identity crime and individuals who contacted the ITRC after being the victim of an identity crime.Selected comments from victims provided in responses to survey questions.7 IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER 2023|IDTHEFTCENTER.ORGKey TakeawaysThe number of ITRC Victims who reported they considered suicide jumped dramatically,doubling since 2021 to16 percent(16%).The national average for non-homelessU.S.residents who contemplate taking their life is fjve percent(5%).2Figure 5Repeat identity crime victims exceeded the number offjrst-time victims among ITRC Victims and Consumers.Forty-one percent(41%)of ITRC Victims and 69 percent(69%)of Consumers said they had previously been the victim of an identity crime(not including data breaches).Thatcompares to 36 percent(36%)for ITRC Victims and30 percent(30%)for Consumers who were fjrst-time victims.Figure 6More ITRC Victims and General Consumers received data breach notices in the past year than those who did notreceive a breach notice.One-third(33%)of ITRC Victims and 23 percent(23%)of General Consumers received between two(2)and fjve(5)notices.Figure 7Using the same password on multiple accounts leads toidentity crimes,yet most ITRC Victims and GeneralConsumers said they did just that.Fifty-six percent(56%)of ITRC Victims and 59 percent(59%)of General Consumers admit to using the same or similar passwords on all accounts.Figure 8Credit freezes are very effective at preventing fraudulentaccounts requiring a credit check,but 31 percent(31%)of ITRC Victims and 22 percent(22%)of General Consumers reported they had a freeze in place.Figure 9Figure 5|Thoughts of Suicide,2023National AverageITRC Victims5%16%Figure 6|Number of Identity Crime AttacksPrevious Victim of an Identity CrimeFirst-Time Victim of an Identity CrimeITRC VictimsITRC VictimsGeneral ConsumersGeneral Consumers41%36%69%30%Figure 7|Identity Victims Who Received Data Breach Notices in the Past 12 MonthsOne(1)ITRC VictimsGeneral Consumers23%27%Two(2)to Five(5)ITRC VictimsGeneral Consumers33%23%Six(6)or MoreITRC VictimsGeneral Consumers15%6%Figure 9|Identity Victims Who Had Their Credit FrozenGeneral ConsumersITRC Victims22%31%Figure 8|Identity Victims Using Same/Similar Passwords Across AccountsGeneral ConsumersITRC Victims59%56%2On August 10,2023 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the number of deaths linked to suicide in the U.S.grew by approximately three percent(3%)in 2022,the highest level since World War II.This is in contrast to the 60 percent(60%)growth rate year-over-year among identity crime victims who contacted the ITRC and who contemplated suicide.8 IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER 2023|IDTHEFTCENTER.ORGMore than half 56 percent(56%)of Consumers sought emotional support for the various problems they experienced after their identity was misused,but only 33 percent(33%)of ITRC victims sought help.Figure 13Figure 13|Identity Victims Who Sought Emotional SupportGeneral ConsumersITRC Victims56%33%Nearly three-fourths of both survey groups reportedexperiencing fjnancial problems;60 percent(60%)haddiffjculty covering the costs of basic needs.Figure 12More than 40 percent(40%)of Consumers reported that it took less than a week to resolve their identity issues,but65 percent(65%)of ITRC Victims reported their issues were still unresolved months after discovering the misuse.Figure 10Consumers reported lower fjnancial losses than ITRCvictims.Twenty-eight percent(28%)of Consumers reported losses of less than$500 USD compared to only 14 percent(14%)of ITRC victims who lost that amount in an identity crime.Twenty-nine percent(29%)of ITRC Victims reported losses of$10,000 USD or more,including losses in excess of$100,000 USD.Figure 11Figure 11|Financial Losses Due to Identity CrimeUnder$500ITRC VictimsGeneral Consumers14%28%$500$9,999ITRC VictimsGeneral Consumers33%59%$10,000 or MoreITRC VictimsGeneral Consumers29%10%Figure 12|Victims Who Experienced Financial Problems Due to Identity CrimeExperienced A Financial-Related ProbelmITRC VictimsGeneral Consumers77%73%Diffjculty Covering Costs of Basic NeedsITRC VictimsGeneral Consumers61%59%Figure 10|Time Took to Resolve Identity IssueLess Than a WeekOne Week to 3 Months3 to 6 MonthsUnresolved6 Months to One Year10%43%14%38%4%5%7%4%65%10%ITRC VictimsGeneral Consumers9 IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER 2023|IDTHEFTCENTER.ORGIn Their Own WordsIn the 20 years since the ITRCs fj