Identity Theft and Scam Fallout Is More Than Financial, ITRC Finds – Digital Transactions

Consumers victimized in financial scams and fraud tend to feel that impact not just financially, but emotionally, too, finds a new Identity Theft Resource Center report.

The “2026 Consumer Impact Report” determined that, among general consumer scam victims, 33.7% experienced an adverse impact, compared to 17.3% among traditional identity theft victims. While identity is the connective tissue between scam and ID theft victims, the impacts are different. The report is the first time the ITRC separated the impact between the two cohorts.

“Whether a criminal steals personal information outright or manipulates someone into handing it over, the harm flows from losing control of the credentials and data that prove who we are,” Eva Velasquez, ITRC chief executive, says in the report.

“When a criminal talks you into the transaction, you lose more than money. You start to question your own judgment, and you wonder what else could happen that you never saw coming,” Velasquez says.

These impacts can be troubling. Among scam victims, 80.5% experienced suicide ideation compared with 24.5% of ID theft victims. Emotional support was sought by 91.4% of the former and 37.2% of the latter. Scam victims also were more apt to file bankruptcy, at 20.4% compared with 8.8% of ID theft victims. Job loss also was higher, at 12.3% for scam victims and 3.1% for ID theft victims.

Labeled an “unseen crisis” among consumers, the emotional devastation of scams can generate internalized guilt and shame, experienced by 54.8% of scam victim respondents, and carry self-blame and a sense of social stigma, the ITRC says. When asked about fault, 87% of the general scam-victim respondents agreed it was partly their fault.

Where businesses can help lies in how they respond, the ITRC suggests. Most—87.9%—of scam victims said reporting organizations never responded to their pleas for help and 67.2% felt blamed by institutions.

The ITRC surveyed 1,111 U.S. adults and 197 individuals who contacted the ITRC for assistance in the previous 12 months. The ITRC recommends eliminating non-responsive outcomes and noting the nature of the consumer’s plea.

It also suggests that search engines and social media platforms do a better job at policing paid ads and outreach targeting of recent fraud victims to reduce their exposure to fee-based recovery programs.

—If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).