It’s the letter most consumers dread receiving — the notification that your personal information has been involved in a data breach.
About 80% of respondents to a new survey said they received at least one data breach notice in the prior 12 months, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.
Nearly 40% of people received three to five separate notices over that period. The survey polled 1,040 individuals in November.
Of those who recently received a data breach notice, 88% reported at least one negative consequence, such as increased phishing or other scam attempts, more spam emails or robocalls or an attempted account takeover, the survey found.
The number of data compromises rose five percentage points last year — with 3,322 events in 2025 versus 3,152 in 2024 — a record, according to the ITRC’s new annual report. The non-profit organization has been tracking public reports of data compromises for 20 years.
