How to Guard Against Identity Theft in 2025
Scammers are getting better at impersonating legitimate businesses.


Eva Velasquez is president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), a nonprofit that supports victims of identity theft. Here, she talks to Kiplinger about key identity theft problems to know about in 2025.
What are the most common identity theft schemes?
Our most recent contact center data shows that 51% of personally identifiable information (PII) compromises — which take place when someone is trying to access your personal information — come from scams, with the most common types of scams being impersonation and employment scams.
Impersonation scams occur when whoever is on the other end of the interaction is not who they say they are. 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.
With job and employment scams, we’re seeing fraudulent postings on legitimate sites such as Indeed and LinkedIn, as well as unsolicited text messages and emails from phony recruiters.
What trends in ID theft do you expect to see in 2025?
It’s hard to predict the next global event, such as a pandemic or natural disaster, but that’s what the scammers love to leverage. 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.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Business impersonation, which occurs when someone claims to be from a company, such as Amazon or your bank, is going to continue to grow in 2025 because bad actors can easily purchase stolen personal information on the dark web and use it to seem credible when they contact victims.
There are also a lot of social media account takeovers, in which bad actors hack into someone’s account and then reach out to their connections and friends to ask for donations and information. Social media companies aren’t responding quickly enough to these takeovers, so people end up walking away from hacked accounts. We have a proliferation of accounts that are no longer in the original owner’s control.
Save Up to 68% On Aura Identity Theft Protection
Aura provides everything you need to protect your identity. Get up to 250x faster fraud alerts, 3-bureau credit monitoring, up to $5 million in identity theft insurance, and 24/7 U.S.-based fraud support. It also includes an antivirus, VPN and password manager for proactive security. Kiplinger readers can save up to 68% when they sign up.
Preferred partner (What does this mean?)
What can people do to protect themselves from scams?
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.
That may mean calling the phone number on your credit card if someone purports to be from your card company, responding to a voice message from someone who says they’re from your utility company by finding the company’s number online, or checking the message center in your Amazon account if you receive an email or text message from someone who says they work for Amazon.
Our recent data also shows that 16% of PII compromises were the result of lost or stolen items, so remember that your smartphone and other devices are just as important as your wallet, and you need to treat them as such.
Make sure that a lock screen is enabled on all your devices, and use biometric authentication of your face or fingerprint. Enable location detection for your device and the ability to remotely delete information from it if it is stolen. Finally, freezing your credit is one of the most robust measures you can take to prevent fraud.
What should you do if your personal information is involved in a data breach?
You have limited options once your information has been exposed, but you can react quickly to news of a breach. The most important first step is to understand what specific data of yours was compromised. If your username and password were stolen, you should immediately change your password on any account where you’ve used the compromised password.
We have a free tool on the ITRC website where you can see whether a company has had a breach before you do business with it. You can also sign up to get an alert if a company you do business with experiences a breach in the future.
Note: This item first appeared in Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine, a monthly, trustworthy source of advice and guidance. Subscribe to help you make more money and keep more of the money you make here.
Related content
Get Kiplinger Today newsletter — free
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Mallika Mitra is an experienced business and financial journalist. In addition to Kiplinger, her work can be found in Barron's, CNBC, Bloomberg News, Bankrate, USA Today and more. She was previously the investing editor at Money where she wrote a weekly newsletter on stocks, bonds, cryptocurrencies and more.
-
Stock Market Today: Good Feelings and Solid Data Lift Stocks
Resilience and de-escalation defined another generally positive day for financial markets.
-
Five Home Upgrades for Surviving Record-Breaking Heat
With global temperatures expected to hover at record highs for years to come, now’s the time to upgrade your home for long-term heat resilience.
-
The 401(k) Mistake That Could Cost You Millions in Retirement Savings
Thinking about reducing your 401(K) contributions in the current market? Here are six reasons why you may want to reconsider.
-
I'm an Insurance Expert: Yes, You Need Life Insurance Even if the Kids Are Grown and the House Is Paid Off
Life insurance isn't about you. It's about providing for loved ones and covering expenses after you're gone. Here are five key reasons to have it.
-
7 Rules Frequent Flyers Swear By
From dodging long lines to avoiding bad coffee, these clever travel rules can help you save time, stay healthy and reduce stress every time you fly.
-
My Professional Advice: When It Comes to Money, You Do You
This is how embracing the 'letting others be' and 'learning to surrender' mindsets can improve your relationship with money.
-
Five Smart Moves for Retirement Healthcare: From HSAs to Medigap Policies
Unchecked health care costs in retirement could blow a hole in your savings. Here’s how to avoid that.
-
The High Price of Skipping Workers' Comp Insurance
Two labor and employment attorneys highlight the penalties (fines, reputation damage and even jail time) that small businesses risk if they opt not to carry workers' comp insurance.
-
Why You May Want a Postnup
Even after you've said "I do," you can draw up an agreement to protect your assets.
-
How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Could Reshape 529 Plans
Trump's budget-reconciliation package could change 529 plan rules as early as this summer. What does that mean for you?