Identity Theft in New Hampshire: 2026 Statistics, Hotspots and Prevention

Identity theft is the most-reported consumer crime in the United States. The Federal Trade Commission Consumer Sentinel Network tracks tens of thousands of reports per year from New Hampshire alone. The 2026 picture in NH continues a multi-year trend of more reports, higher dollar losses and a shift in which scams hit hardest. This page is the annual NH report, updated each spring with the latest FTC and NH Attorney General data.

The report is part data analysis and part prevention guide. The data tells you where the risk is highest. The prevention checklist tells you what to do about it. Most NH households can close 80 percent of their identity theft exposure with a thirty-minute Saturday morning routine. Call 📞 978-636-0301 when you are ready for the destruction step.

2026 NH snapshot

The headline numbers from the most recent FTC Consumer Sentinel data and NH Attorney General reports paint a consistent picture. NH residents file thousands of identity theft reports per year. The most common report categories are credit card fraud, government benefit fraud (Medicare, social security, IRS) and bank account takeover. The total reported dollar losses in NH are in the tens of millions per year, and the FTC notes that reported losses understate actual losses because most identity theft is unreported.

What the trend lines say

• Reports per year: Climbing slowly since the pandemic-era spike. NH is consistent with the national pattern.
• Median loss per case: Stable in the high-three-figure range for individual fraud cases. Higher for business and senior cases.
• Most common method: Credit card fraud is the single most-reported category. Account takeover is the fastest-growing.
• Age skew: NH residents 65+ are over-represented in the dollar-loss data. Younger NH residents report more cases but smaller per-case losses.

County-by-county breakdown

Identity theft reporting in NH skews toward higher-population counties, which is expected. Hillsborough and Rockingham consistently produce the most reports. The per-capita picture is more interesting because it surfaces hotspots that absolute numbers hide.

Top scams hitting NH residents in 2026

1. IRS and tax return identity theft

Criminals file a tax return in your name early in the season to claim a refund. The first sign you are a victim is your own return being rejected because someone else already filed under your social security number. NH has seen this consistently every tax season. Prevention: file early, use an IRS IP PIN and shred all old tax records under documented destruction.

2. Senior Medicare and social security scams

Phone calls and texts claiming to be from Medicare, social security or a federal agency. The caller asks for your Medicare number or social security number to “verify your account.” Real federal agencies do not call to verify numbers. NH seniors are over-represented in dollar losses on these scams.

3. Account takeover and SIM swap

Criminal calls your phone carrier, claims to be you and ports your number to a new SIM. With your phone number they receive SMS two-factor codes for your bank, brokerage and email. Account takeover follows. NH carriers have improved verification, but the scam still works often enough to be growing.

4. Mortgage and real estate wire fraud

A buyer is days from closing. Criminal intercepts the email between buyer and closing agent and sends a substitute wiring instruction. The buyer wires the downpayment to the criminal account. NH closings have seen multi-six-figure losses on this scam. Prevention: always confirm wiring instructions by phone with a number you looked up independently.

Why NH seniors are targeted

NH has one of the oldest median populations in New England. The state demographic profile, combined with substantial retirement assets and homes paid off decades ago, makes NH seniors a high-value target. The scam patterns above are not chosen at random. They are selected because they work on a population that grew up trusting government agencies, that has accumulated assets and that may live alone.

Adult children helping a parent downsize, executors closing an estate and caregivers managing power of attorney paperwork are all involved in the records destruction step. Secure destruction by a BNBA A+ vendor closes one of the biggest doors. See our guides on estate and downsizing shredding and safeguard your identity NH.

Why paper still matters in 2026

Most identity theft happens digitally. But the physical paper trail is still a major contributor and is the part households most often underestimate. A bank statement in the curb recycling can be photographed by anyone walking by. A discarded credit card offer holds a pre-approved line. A pile of medical EOBs holds Medicare numbers, dates of birth and provider information. The criminals who target physical mail and recycling do so because the source is reliable and the supply is constant.

Closing the paper door is cheap. Cross-cut shred anything with your name, address, account number, social security number or signature. Use a documented destruction vendor for larger batches. Get a Certificate of Destruction for your records. It is the simplest, highest-ROI identity theft prevention any NH household can do.

Prevention checklist for NH households

This weekend (30 minutes)

• Place a free credit freeze with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Reversible. Costs nothing.
• Sign up for an IRS Identity Protection PIN at IRS.gov.
• Turn on two-factor authentication for your bank, brokerage and primary email accounts. Use an authenticator app, not SMS.
• Shred any old bank statements, credit card statements, tax records past 7 years, medical EOBs past appeal window, expired insurance docs and junk mail with personal information.

This month

• Pull a free credit report from annualcreditreport.com (one per bureau per year, free).
• Review last 90 days of bank and credit card statements. Flag anything unfamiliar.
• Update beneficiaries on retirement and life insurance accounts if life events changed.
• Switch any account still using SMS-only two-factor to an authenticator app.

This year

• Annual paper purge. Shred everything past retention window. See the NH retention guide.
• If you have a deceased family member, file a “deceased” alert with each credit bureau.
• Review your social security earnings statement at SSA.gov to confirm no fake wages have been reported under your number.

If your identity is stolen

Step 1: Report to the FTC

File a report at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC generates a personalized recovery plan and an identity theft report you use with creditors and banks.

Step 2: Place a fraud alert

Call one of the three credit bureaus to place a free fraud alert. The bureau notifies the other two automatically. Alert lasts one year and is renewable.

Step 3: Close compromised accounts

Contact each affected bank, credit card issuer or service. Provide the FTC identity theft report. Most institutions will close the account and reverse fraudulent charges.

Step 4: File a police report

NH local police take identity theft reports. The report becomes part of your audit trail with creditors and may be required for some recovery steps. Contact your town or city police department.

Step 5: Notify the NH Attorney General

The NH AG Consumer Protection Bureau tracks identity theft reports and provides resources at doj.nh.gov. Reporting helps build the case data that informs the next-year prevention focus.

Frequently Asked Questions