About the ITRC Consumer & Business Impact Report
Consumer Impact Methodology
From July 2023 to July 2024, the ITRC responded to requests for direct assistance from 9,213 individuals seeking help 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. In August 2024, the ITRC sent emails to a representative sample of those individuals, 254 of which responded by completing an online survey questionnaire. To get a broader view of the trends and impacts affecting consumers, the ITRC asked similar questions to 1,031 general consumers who may or may not have been a victim of an identity crime and had not contacted the ITRC for information or assistance. These general consumers completed a similar, but not identical, online survey questionnaire as the ITRC victims.
Business Impact Methodology
The ITRC, using the SurveyMonkey platform, conducted an online survey to explore the impacts of cybercrimes on small businesses as defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The survey was conducted in August 2024, covering the previous 12 months unless otherwise noted in a specific question. The online questionnaire was completed by 461 people selected by SurveyMonkey. The respondents met the criteria of being a small business owner or executive at a company of 500 or fewer employees, including solopreneurs and gig workers. This year’s report reflects responses from businesses ranging from single-employee companies to organizations with 500 employees. The responses also reflect a wide range of industries with a slight concentration in retail entities.
Disclaimer: The Identity Theft Resource Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit that does not endorse any particular company, product or service.
