Identity thieves are favoring device takeovers over scams, according to the latest trends report released Tuesday by the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC).
For the first time, unauthorized device access has surpassed scams as the primary threat for adults aged 35 to 64, according to the San Diego-based nonprofit organization founded to provide identity theft victim assistance and consumer education.
Unauthorized access to computers and mobile devices increased by 78% year-over-year from 15.3% of all identity compromises to 27.2% of all compromises, noted the report, which is based on 9,253 cases from 6,188 individuals who contacted the ITRC between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026.
The report added that over the same period, scams involving the sharing of personal information declined from 43.1% to 36.1% of compromises.
“While consumers are becoming savvier to the growing number of scams, exploiting devices is still something that many consumers miss, given how reliant we’ve become on them,” Paige Schaffer, CEO of Iris Powered by Generali, a global cybersecurity and identity protection company, told TechNewsWorld.
