Scams and identity theft aren’t just growing in numbers – it’s evolving. The tricks and schemes that dominated headlines a few years ago, such as stolen mail and basic phishing emails, have given way to techniques that are faster, smarter, and harder to spot. These are the new identity theft risks to look out for in the coming months and years.

AI deepfakes are now a serious threat. AI is becoming a tool that fraudsters are using to make their jobs much easier. They are cloning voices, faces, and even live video to bypass identity verification systems. Deepfake selfies, adding a different face onto an existing photo, have risen sharply in the past year. Scammers are feeding manipulated images into verification software, called injection attacks, allowing them to bypass security measures. Verifying your identity using photo or video is no longer a foolproof method.

Synthetic identity theft is more difficult to detect. Now that people are conditioned to look out for possible identity theft threats, scammers have had to become less obvious. Criminals now blend a piece of your real information, such as a Social Security number), with fabricated details to build an entirely new, fake persona, instead of stealing your entire identity. Synthetic identities can look totally legitimate, sometimes building a credit history for months before being exploited. This makes them especially hard to catch with traditional fraud monitoring.

Hacking has overtaken social manipulation as a leading threat. In the past, thieves would trick you into handing over your information. Attackers have realized that it’s easier to just gain unauthorized access directly through hacked phones and computers. This method makes stealing an identity faster and less obvious. 

Impersonation scams are on the rise. Fake government agents, employers, and customer service reps are harvesting sensitive personal data at record rates, often as the first step toward opening fraudulent accounts.

What can you do to protect yourself?

• Freezing your credit with all three bureaus will prevent scammers from opening lines of credit under your file.  
• Use only strong, unique passwords for all your different logins. Using a password manager to store all your passwords is essential. Most new mobile devices will have a password manager included which will generate strong passwords and store them behind a passkey that only your face or fingerprint can access. 
• It is now more important than ever to use the strongest security features your devices or any apps/websites you use have on offer. Enable multi-factor authentication to give scammers an added hurdle to jump. 
• Limit what you share on social media and keep an eye on your accounts. You’d be amazed at what thieves can use to steal your identity. 

These are some of the new identity theft risks to look out for, however they will continue to evolve and get more difficult to detect. You’ve got to stay vigilant in the safeguarding of your information. Using these tips will help keep you from becoming a victim.