Identity Theft Threats and Prevention Strategies in 2025
As technology advances, so do the methods employed by identity thieves. Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), recently shared key insights into the most prevalent identity theft schemes and essential protection strategies for the coming year.
Common Identity Theft Schemes
According to data from the ITRC’s contact center, a significant 51% of personally identifiable information (PII) compromises stem from scams. Velasquez identified impersonation and employment scams as the most common types.
Impersonation scams involve fraudsters masquerading as legitimate entities. “They may say they’re from Amazon and your delivery is delayed, or they may pose as a credit card representative, asking whether you authorized a purchase,” Velasquez explained.
Employment scams involve fraudulent job postings on reputable platforms or unsolicited messages from phony recruiters, attempting to steal personal and financial information.
2025 Identity Theft Trends
Predicting the future is challenging, particularly when considering unforeseen global events, however, scammers are adept at exploiting such situations.
“During those events, consumers know something is going on but don’t have a lot of information, and then they get a bunch of requests for money or information from scammers,” Velasquez noted.
Business impersonation is also expected to increase. Criminals are easily buying stolen personal information and using it to appear credible. Additionally, social media account takeovers are a growing problem, with hackers targeting accounts to solicit donations and information from the account owner’s contacts.
How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft
To safeguard against identity theft in 2025, Velasquez recommends a proactive and skeptical approach to digital communication.
“Approach all digital communication with skepticism. If you didn’t initiate the contact with an entity that is requesting information or money from you, go to the source and verify that it reached out to you,” she said.
This involves contacting the company directly through established channels, such as calling the number on your credit card, verifying communications through official websites, and checking account message centers.
She further emphasizes the importance of securing personal devices. According to ITRC data, 16% of PII compromises result from lost or stolen items.
“Remember that your smartphone and other devices are just as important as your wallet, and you need to treat them as such,” Velasquez advised. She recommends enabling lock screens, biometric authentication, location detection, and remote data deletion capabilities on all devices.
Freezing your credit is another powerful measure.
Responding to Data Breaches
In the unfortunate event of a data breach, swift action is crucial. The first step is to determine what specific data was compromised. Change passwords immediately on any accounts where stolen credentials were used. The ITRC website offers a free tool to check a company’s breach history and allows users to sign up for breach alerts.
