Guides / Phone theft and identity theft in the US

Phone theft and identity theft in the US: what the official numbers say

Updated 4 November 2026 · By the FirstHour team

Short answerOfficial US numbers exist for identity theft and fraud. But the official pages we read don't say how many cases start with a stolen phone or a stolen picture, and we found no official count of phone thefts there. So the numbers can't tell you your own risk. What helps is simple: lock down your phone, clear out private pictures, and know your first steps.

What the official numbers say

Two US government bodies publish the main figures. They measure different things, so don't add them together.

These were the newest figures we could confirm on the official pages on 4 November 2026.

How to read them

The FTC says its Sentinel Data Book is based on unverified reports filed by consumers. So its figures count reports, not confirmed cases. BJS says its data come from self-report survey responses, collected through the National Crime Victimization Survey.

A big number for a whole country says little about one person. The BJS estimate of 9% means about 91 in 100 US residents age 16 or older did not have identity theft in the 12 months it measured. These figures are a reason to take a few easy steps, not a reason to worry.

The numbers we could not find

People often ask how many identity thefts begin with a lost or stolen phone. We could not find an official answer on the pages we read.

We only quote official bodies' own pages, so we would rather give you no number than a guess.

What this means for you

The official numbers above show that identity theft and fraud reports are common. The pages we read don't say whether a stolen phone is a main cause. So think of the phone as one thing worth preparing, and the steps below as a calm way to do it.

What to do

  1. Know your first hour. Read what to do if your iPhone is stolen, and the US guide with who to call. The US Who to call page lists the carriers, banks and credit bureaus.
  2. Prepare while it's calm. Follow the before-it-happens checklist.
  3. Clear out private pictures. Pictures of cards and IDs are worth a look. See photos of your credit card and Social Security cards and driver's licenses on your phone.
  4. Protect your money and email. See your bank app on a stolen phone and protecting your email.
  5. If you think someone used your identity, report it at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC says you will get a free recovery plan with next steps. The FTC also says a credit freeze keeps people from getting into your credit report, is free to place and lift, and that you contact each of the three credit bureaus to place one.

How FirstHour helps

Protect points out pictures of cards, IDs and codes, keeps them blurred until you're ready, and lets you decide what to do with each one. Plan B helps you get a plan ready for the first hour, with your own hotlines. FirstHour can't lock your bank accounts. It tells you what to do and who to call. Its US documents have only been tried on made-up examples so far, so look through your pictures yourself too.

Questions

Does the 9% mean 9% of people are at risk every year?

It is BJS's estimate of the share of US residents age 16 or older who had identity theft in the 12 months it measured in 2021. It is a past count from a survey, not a forecast for you.

Are the FTC's 6.5 million reports 6.5 million victims?

No. The FTC says its Sentinel reports are unverified, so they are reports and not confirmed cases. The FTC also says the 6.5 million reports include fraud, identity theft and other consumer complaints, not only identity theft.

Is there a newer number?

We checked the official pages on 4 November 2026. The 2021 BJS identity theft report and the 2024 FTC Data Book were the newest figures we could confirm there. We will update this page when newer ones appear.

Sources

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