South Carolina Consumers Lost $8.5 Million to Scams and Identity Theft in 2025

SC Consumer Affairs News

Published February 24th, 2026

Detected March 23rd, 2026

Summary

The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) released its annual Identity Theft and Scams Report, detailing that consumers lost nearly $8.5 million in 2025. The report outlines specific figures for identity theft and scam losses, common types of fraud, and methods of victim targeting.

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What changed

The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) has published its 2026 Identity Theft and Scams Report, which analyzes data from 2025. The report indicates that South Carolina consumers collectively lost $2,788,307 due to 667 reported instances of identity theft and $5,685,240 from 525 reported scams. Key findings include that financial identity theft was the most common type, and phone calls were the primary method of contact for scam victims.

This report serves as an informational notice for consumers and businesses regarding prevalent fraud trends. While it does not impose new regulatory requirements, it highlights the importance of consumer vigilance. The SCDCA encourages consumers to report incidents and offers resources, including a free webinar on February 25, 2026, to discuss the report's findings and provide guidance on avoiding and reporting scams and identity theft.

What to do next

Review the SCDCA's 2026 Identity Theft and Scams Report for trends and victim targeting methods.
Inform consumers about common scam and identity theft types and reporting mechanisms.
Attend the SCDCA's free webinar on February 25, 2026, to understand the report's implications.

Source document (simplified)

Tue, 02/24/2026 COLUMBIA, S.C. – Scams and identity theft cost South Carolina consumers nearly $8.5 million in 2025, according to SCDCA’s annual Identity Theft and Scams Report. The newly released report includes insights into the types of ID theft/scams reported to SCDCA and how victims were targeted. Some of the highlights include:

Identity Theft

The 2026 report contains information from 667 reports of identity theft reported from January 1 to December 31, 2025. The sum of actual losses to the consumer resulting from identity theft was $2,788,307.
The top three types of identity theft were: Financial (60.42%), Government (21.74%) and Medical (2.85%).
Top three ways consumers discovered they were identity theft victims: Credit Report (22.19%), Bank Notice (10.94%) and Business Notification (7.20%).
Scams
The report contains information from 525 scams reported. The sum of actual losses reported was $5,685,240.
The top three types of scams were: Purchase (12.19%), Service/Repair (10.67%) and Debt Collection (8.76%).
Sixty percent of consumers who reported scams were contacted by phone.
The 2026 Identity Theft and Scams Report is available for download on the SCDCA Reports webpage. Consumers are encouraged to report scams or identity theft by calling (800) 922-1594 or visiting consumer.sc.gov and click the How Do I… button, then Report a Scam or Report Identity Theft. In 2025 alone, SCDCA mailed 15,495 packets of information to potential identity theft victims, providing guidance on recommended actions for their situation and offering one-on-one assistance.

SCDCA will offer a free webinar to go over the 2026 Identity Theft and Scam Report on Wednesday, February 25 at 10:30 a.m. Register here to watch/listen from any computer or smartphone.

SCDCA offers a variety of free resources to help consumers spot and avoid scams including free webinars every Wednesday, free in-person presentations across the state, free brochures and email updates. Download Ditch the Pitch, SCDCA's guide to guarding against scams for more information on how to spot a scam.

About SCDCA

Established in 1974, DCA has more than fifty years of experience in protecting South Carolina consumers while recognizing those businesses that act honestly and fairly. Cultivating a marketplace comprised of well-informed consumers and businesses prevents deceptive and unfair business practices, allows legitimate business activity to flourish, resulting in the promotion of competition and a healthier economy.