What started as unauthorized Netflix charges ended up costing Jana Flick nearly $17,000 — about half her family's savings.
"I just felt devastated," Flick said.
After searching for a Netflix customer service phone number online, someone who turned out to be a fake representative told her to downland an app, and transfer the money to a Bitcoin wallet, which she thought she owned.
"I should have known. I should have saw something coming because you hear about these stories, and just thought it could never happen to me," she said.
Growing losses from fraud
Consumers reported losing more than $12 billion to fraud in 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission, a 25% increase over the previous year.
Even if a fraud or scam doesn't start out as identity theft, that is usually the end result, according to the Better Business Bureau, which finds that identity theft or information theft are part of nearly every other scam.
"Most scams start as imposter scams, but the way they get there is through identity theft," said national BBB spokesperson Melanie McGovern.
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McGovern said scammers are not just after your money. They want information.
"They'll trade it on the dark web, and they'll work to get more information out of other people using your information," she explained.
In its 2025 study on identity theft scams, the BBB points to a rising number of reported identity theft cases.
The not-for-profit organization received more than 16,600 reports of high-level identity theft over the past three years. That's just a fraction of fraud reports with the FTC receiving 2.6 million reports in 2024.
For many victims, McGovern said scammers use stolen information to impersonate people or create fake identities for other scams.
"They're trying to create you. Another person, another persona of you to trick people," she said. "It's really important to make sure that you're locking down everything."
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Scammers are also using the power of artificial intelligence to fuel identity theft and expose information ranging from bank accounts and Social Security numbers to your driver's license and tax information.
Identity theft prevention
McGovern urges all consumers to monitor for signs of identity theft, including:
- An increase in suspicious calls and text messages
- Emails you never signed up for
- Credit card or medical bills not associated with your accounts
To prevent identity theft:
- Change your passwords frequently
- Use two-factor authentication
- Monitor your credit reports and bank accounts
"Even if you have stuff on autopay," McGovern advised, "check those accounts to make sure nothing is popping up that looks weird, suspicious, or something that you didn't initiate."
If you believe your information has been compromised, experts recommend canceling credit cards, locking accounts and changing passwords quickly before scammers continue to use your information.
