Identity Theft Debt Collection Complaints: Which Companies Get the Most
Original analysis of 114,952 records from the CFPB, 2017–2025 (calendar years; 2017 from April 24). Published October 20, 2026.
We counted every debt collection complaint published by the CFPB from April 2017 through 2025 in which the consumer said the debt resulted from identity theft, and ranked the companies the complaints are about.
What the CFPB Complaint Data Show
Equifax (6,230), TransUnion (6,213) and Experian (5,653) each drew more 2025 debt collection complaints citing identity theft than any other company; together they account for 46.6% of the 38,831 such complaints. The highest-ranked company that is not a credit bureau, Resurgent Capital Services, drew 1,549. These are raw complaint counts as published by the CFPB; they are not adjusted for company size and are not verified findings of identity theft.
- 38,831Identity-theft debt collection complaints, 2025
- 47%Share about Equifax, TransUnion or Experian, 2025
- 2.0×Count in 2025 against 2024
The three credit bureaus lead
Equifax (6,230), TransUnion (6,213) and Experian (5,653) rank first to third among the 917 companies named in 2025 identity-theft debt collection complaints. Equifax alone drew 4.0× as many as Resurgent Capital Services (1,549), the fourth-ranked company.
Four collection companies follow
After the bureaus come Resurgent Capital Services (1,549), Encore Capital Group (1,300), CL Holdings LLC (1,245) and Portfolio Recovery Associates (1,066). The ten highest-ranked companies account for 64.4% of the 2025 total.
Complaints nearly doubled
Identity-theft debt collection complaints rose from 19,758 in 2024 to 38,831 in 2025. All debt collection complaints grew almost as fast, from 155,894 to 283,203.
Bureaus grew faster than the rest
Complaints of this kind about the three bureaus rose 2.6× from 2024 to 2025, from 6,929 to 18,096; complaints about all other companies combined rose 1.6×, from 12,829 to 20,735.
A third of not-owed complaints
In 2025, 33.6% of the 115,682 complaints about attempts to collect a debt not owed said the debt resulted from identity theft, up from 28.2% in 2024.
Which Companies Get the Most Identity Theft Debt Collection Complaints
In 2025, the three nationwide credit bureaus each drew more identity-theft debt collection complaints than any other company in the CFPB data.
Equifax (6,230), TransUnion (6,213) and Experian (5,653), followed by Resurgent Capital Services (1,549).
The ranking counts complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2025 under the product "Debt collection" in which the consumer chose the issue "Attempts to collect debt not owed" and the sub-issue "Debt was result of identity theft". Companies are listed as the CFPB names them, which is often a parent company: Encore Capital Group, for example, appears as one company. The three credit bureaus together account for 18,096 of the 38,831 complaints.
The CFPB's annual debt collection report notes that in these complaints, "consumers often reported that they learned about the debt after reviewing their credit report or after receiving an alert from a credit monitoring service." The data do not show why a consumer named a bureau rather than a collector. Counts are not adjusted for how many accounts or consumers each company handles.
Identity-theft debt collection complaints by company, 2025
- EQUIFAX, INC.6,23016.0% of the total · 2,110 in 2024
- TRANSUNION INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS, INC.6,21316.0% of the total · 2,367 in 2024
- Experian Information Solutions Inc.5,65314.6% of the total · 2,452 in 2024
- Resurgent Capital Services L.P.1,5494.0% of the total · 1,068 in 2024
- ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC.1,3003.3% of the total · 642 in 2024
- CL Holdings LLC1,2453.2% of the total · 732 in 2024
- Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC1,0662.7% of the total · 477 in 2024
- CCS Financial Services, Inc.6361.6% of the total · 317 in 2024
- Kriya Capital, LLC6171.6% of the total · 259 in 2024
- I.C. System, Inc.5031.3% of the total · 278 in 2024
- CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION4971.3% of the total · 362 in 2024
- National Credit Systems,Inc.4741.2% of the total · 267 in 2024
Top 50 companies
- TRANSWORLD SYSTEMS INC4371.1% of the total · 277 in 2024
- Spring Oaks Capital, LLC4301.1% of the total · 127 in 2024
- CAINE & WEINER COMPANY, INC.2980.8% of the total · 138 in 2024
- Radius Global Solutions LLC2540.7% of the total · 144 in 2024
- CITIBANK, N.A.2380.6% of the total · 165 in 2024
- Rowland Avenue Management, Inc. A/KA Columbia Debt Recovery, LLC d/b/a Genesis2240.6% of the total · 241 in 2024
- DISCOVER BANK2180.6% of the total · 163 in 2024
- Bread Financial Holdings, Inc.2060.5% of the total · 154 in 2024
- National Credit Adjusters, LLC2020.5% of the total · 111 in 2024
- Harris & Harris, Ltd.1970.5% of the total · 16 in 2024
- Affirm Holdings, Inc1880.5% of the total · 142 in 2024
- SUNRISE CREDIT SERVICES, INC1850.5% of the total · 169 in 2024
- SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL1830.5% of the total · 168 in 2024
- Southwest Credit Systems, L.P.1780.5% of the total · 82 in 2024
- NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION1600.4% of the total · 100 in 2024
- T.S. Holdings1530.4% of the total · 87 in 2024
- HW Holding, Inc1520.4% of the total · 93 in 2024
- Source Receivables Management LLC1500.4% of the total · 61 in 2024
- TrueAccord Corp.1470.4% of the total · 62 in 2024
- JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.1440.4% of the total · 115 in 2024
- Amsher Collection Services, Inc.1340.3% of the total · 124 in 2024
- BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION1340.3% of the total · 93 in 2024
- NCB Management Services Inc.1330.3% of the total · 69 in 2024
- Aldous & Associates, PLLC1290.3% of the total · 60 in 2024
- ProCollect, Inc.1290.3% of the total · 81 in 2024
- AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY1280.3% of the total · 99 in 2024
- FAIR COLLECTIONS & OUTSOURCING, INC.1280.3% of the total · 100 in 2024
- Self Financial Inc.1180.3% of the total · 91 in 2024
- Security Credit Services, LLC1140.3% of the total · 63 in 2024
- WELLS FARGO & COMPANY1140.3% of the total · 104 in 2024
- W&A Intermediate Co., LLC1120.3% of the total · 66 in 2024
- Credit Control, LLC1060.3% of the total · 59 in 2024
- GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA1000.3% of the total · 58 in 2024
- Sequium Asset Solutions, LLC1000.3% of the total · 62 in 2024
- V and H Portfolio1000.3% of the total · 58 in 2024
- Absolute Resolutions Corp.990.3% of the total · 47 in 2024
- Central Portfolio Control Inc.960.2% of the total · 37 in 2024
- Kikoff Inc.870.2% of the total · 31 in 2024
Which Companies Have the Highest Share of Identity Theft Complaints
Identity theft is cited in about a quarter of the debt collection complaints about each credit bureau, against about one in ten for the other companies combined.
Among the 50 companies with the most such complaints, Experian (28.6%), TransUnion (25.4%) and Equifax (23.6%) have the highest shares.
Dividing each company's identity-theft complaints by all of its debt collection complaints in 2025 partly removes the effect of size. For the three bureaus combined, 25.6% of their 70,641 debt collection complaints cite identity theft; for all other companies combined the share is 9.8%. Among the 50 companies with the most identity-theft complaints, the next-highest share after the bureaus is 16.9%; Resurgent Capital Services stands at 8.8%.
Identity-theft share of each company's debt collection complaints, 2025
| Company | ID theft | Own share |
|---|---|---|
| Experian Information Solutions Inc. | 5,653 | 28.6% |
| TRANSUNION INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS, INC. | 6,213 | 25.4% |
| EQUIFAX, INC. | 6,230 | 23.6% |
| DISCOVER BANK | 218 | 16.9% |
| Spring Oaks Capital, LLC | 430 | 15.1% |
| Kriya Capital, LLC | 617 | 14.7% |
| CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION | 497 | 14.2% |
| Absolute Resolutions Corp. | 99 | 14.2% |
| Security Credit Services, LLC | 114 | 13.5% |
| NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION | 160 | 13.4% |
All 50 companies
| Company | ID theft | Own share |
|---|---|---|
| GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA | 100 | 13.4% |
| Radius Global Solutions LLC | 254 | 13.3% |
| Source Receivables Management LLC | 150 | 13.2% |
| Southwest Credit Systems, L.P. | 178 | 12.7% |
| V and H Portfolio | 100 | 12.7% |
| Amsher Collection Services, Inc. | 134 | 12.6% |
| Self Financial Inc. | 118 | 12.6% |
| Harris & Harris, Ltd. | 197 | 12.5% |
| SUNRISE CREDIT SERVICES, INC | 185 | 12.5% |
| I.C. System, Inc. | 503 | 12.3% |
| National Credit Adjusters, LLC | 202 | 11.7% |
| Affirm Holdings, Inc | 188 | 11.7% |
| Kikoff Inc. | 87 | 11.3% |
| Sequium Asset Solutions, LLC | 100 | 11.0% |
| ProCollect, Inc. | 129 | 10.9% |
| National Credit Systems,Inc. | 474 | 10.8% |
| TRANSWORLD SYSTEMS INC | 437 | 10.8% |
| Credit Control, LLC | 106 | 10.8% |
| CITIBANK, N.A. | 238 | 10.7% |
| AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY | 128 | 10.6% |
| CL Holdings LLC | 1,245 | 10.5% |
| Central Portfolio Control Inc. | 96 | 10.4% |
| CAINE & WEINER COMPANY, INC. | 298 | 10.2% |
| BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION | 134 | 10.0% |
| CCS Financial Services, Inc. | 636 | 9.9% |
| FAIR COLLECTIONS & OUTSOURCING, INC. | 128 | 9.7% |
| ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC. | 1,300 | 9.6% |
| Rowland Avenue Management, Inc. A/KA Columbia Debt Recovery, LLC d/b/a Genesis | 224 | 9.5% |
| NCB Management Services Inc. | 133 | 9.5% |
| TrueAccord Corp. | 147 | 9.1% |
| HW Holding, Inc | 152 | 9.0% |
| Resurgent Capital Services L.P. | 1,549 | 8.8% |
| Aldous & Associates, PLLC | 129 | 8.8% |
| Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC | 1,066 | 8.6% |
| T.S. Holdings | 153 | 8.5% |
| W&A Intermediate Co., LLC | 112 | 8.3% |
| SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL | 183 | 8.1% |
| Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. | 206 | 7.9% |
| JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. | 144 | 7.9% |
| WELLS FARGO & COMPANY | 114 | 7.7% |
How Identity Theft Debt Collection Complaints Have Changed Since 2018
Identity-theft debt collection complaints rose from 4,787 in 2018 to 38,831 in 2025, and the bureaus' share was higher in 2025 than in any earlier year.
From 19,758 in 2024 to 38,831 in 2025, 2.0× the 2024 count; 8.1× the count of 2018.
The CFPB complaint form has offered the sub-issue "Debt was result of identity theft" since April 2017, so 2018 is the first full year. The three bureaus accounted for 22.4% of identity-theft debt collection complaints in 2018, 35.1% in 2024 and 46.6% in 2025. Measured against all debt collection complaints, identity theft accounted for 9.4% in 2018 and 13.7% in 2025.
Identity-theft debt collection complaints by year, 2017–2025
| Year | Complaints | Not-owed share | Bureau share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1,827 | 13.9% | 3.3% |
| 2018 | 4,787 | 21.3% | 22.4% |
| 2019 | 6,516 | 28.6% | 24.5% |
| 2020 | 8,643 | 30.8% | 40.9% |
| 2021 | 13,839 | 35.5% | 10.6% |
| 2022 | 9,324 | 30.0% | 12.5% |
| 2023 | 11,427 | 31.6% | 15.3% |
| 2024 | 19,758 | 28.2% | 35.1% |
| 2025 | 38,831 | 33.6% | 46.6% |
2017 covers April 24 to December 31 only. "Not-owed share" is the share of complaints about attempts to collect a debt not owed; "Bureau share" is the share about Equifax, TransUnion or Experian.
Why Consumers Say They Do Not Owe a Debt
Identity theft is the second most common reason consumers give when they say a collector is trying to collect a debt they do not owe.
In 2025, 33.6% of not-owed complaints cited identity theft; most said the debt was not theirs.
Under the issue "Attempts to collect debt not owed", consumers choose one of four sub-issues. In 2024, 28.2% chose identity theft, close to the 28 percent the CFPB reports for 2024 in its Fair Debt Collection Practices Act annual report.
Complaints about debt not owed by sub-issue, 2025
- Debt is not yours65,48256.6% in 2025 · 59.7% in 2024
- Debt was result of identity theft38,83133.6% in 2025 · 28.2% in 2024
- Debt was paid8,7017.5% in 2025 · 9.6% in 2024
- Debt was already discharged in bankruptcy and is no longer owed2,6682.3% in 2025 · 2.5% in 2024
Download the Data and Cite This Study
Every table as a CSV file and in one Excel workbook, a short PDF summary and every chart as an image, free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0).
- Debt collection complaints about debt not owed by sub-issue, 2024 and 2025The sub-issues consumers selected under the debt collection issue "Attempts to collect debt not owed", with counts and shares for 2024 and 2025. · 4 rows · CSV, 1 KB
- Identity-theft debt collection complaints to the CFPB, every company, 2024 and 2025Every company named in at least one 2024 or 2025 identity-theft debt collection complaint, with its identity-theft and total debt collection complaint counts for both years. · 1,164 rows · CSV, 44 KB
- Identity-theft debt collection complaints to the CFPB by company, 2025The 50 companies with the most 2025 debt collection complaints in which the consumer said the debt resulted from identity theft, as the CFPB names them, with 2024 counts and each company's share; raw counts, not adjusted for company size. · 50 rows · CSV, 3 KB
- Identity-theft debt collection complaints to the CFPB by year, 2017–2025Yearly identity-theft debt collection complaints, all complaints about debt not owed and all debt collection complaints, with shares and the count and share naming Equifax, TransUnion or Experian; 2017 starts on April 24, when the sub-issue first appears. · 9 rows · CSV, 1 KB
- All tables in one Excel workbookOne sheet per table plus an About sheet with sources, method and citation · Excel (.xlsx), 54 KB
- Summary to print or forward (3 pages)Short answer, key figures, main chart, findings, method and citation · PDF, 241 KB
Charts for your story
Identity-theft debt collection complaints by company, 2025
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Identity-theft share of each company's debt collection complaints, 2025
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Identity-theft debt collection complaints by year, 2017–2025
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Complaints about debt not owed by sub-issue, 2025
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How to cite
Goldberg, L. (2026). Identity Theft Debt Collection Complaints — CFPB Complaints by Company and Year (2017–2025) [Data set]. Settlement Insight. https://settlementinsight.com/research/identity-theft-debt-collection-complaints
BibTeX
@dataset{goldberg_2026_identity_theft_debt_collection_complaints,
author = {Goldberg, Leonard},
title = {Identity Theft Debt Collection Complaints --- CFPB Complaints by Company and Year (2017--2025)},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Settlement Insight},
url = {https://settlementinsight.com/research/identity-theft-debt-collection-complaints}
}How We Measured
Checked against published figures
- Share of 2024 debt collection complaints about attempts to collect debt not owed in which the consumer reported that the debt resulted from identity theft: published 28%, our count 28.2% (0.2 percentage points apart).Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Annual Report 2025 (CFPB, November 2025)
- Share of 2024 debt collection complaints about attempts to collect debt not owed in which the consumer reported that the debt is not theirs: published 60%, our count 59.7% (0.3 percentage points apart).Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Annual Report 2025 (CFPB, November 2025)
- Debt collection complaints received in 2024 that the CFPB sent to companies for review and response (only these are eligible for publication): published 159,700, our count 155,894 (2.38% apart).Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Annual Report 2025 (CFPB, November 2025)
Full method and limits of the data
A complaint counts if the consumer chose the product "Debt collection", the issue "Attempts to collect debt not owed" and the sub-issue "Debt was result of identity theft"; the sub-issue first appears on April 24, 2017. That gives 114,952 complaints from 2017 to 2025, 58,589 of them in 2024 and 2025. Companies are counted as the CFPB names them; the three nationwide credit bureaus are Equifax, Inc., TransUnion Intermediate Holdings, Inc. and Experian Information Solutions Inc. Each published row is counted as one complaint.
Shares divide by all complaints about debt not owed or all debt collection complaints in the same calendar year. To check the data, we compared 2024 with the CFPB's Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Annual Report 2025: identity theft accounts for 28.2% of our 2024 not-owed complaints against the 28 percent in the report, and we count 155,894 debt collection complaints received in 2024, 2.4% below the 159,700 the CFPB says it sent to companies for review and response.
What this data cannot tell you
- Complaints are what consumers report. The sub-issue is the consumer's own choice on the form, and the CFPB does not determine whether identity theft occurred or whether the company acted wrongly.
- Counts are raw and not adjusted for company size, number of accounts or market share; the CFPB itself advises considering company size and market share when looking at complaint volume.
- The database is not a statistical sample of consumers' experiences. Complaints the CFPB refers to other regulators, such as some complaints about smaller banks, are not published and not counted.
- Identity-theft complaints filed under other products, such as credit reporting, are not included; this study covers only the debt collection product.
- All debt collection complaints rose sharply from 2024 to 2025, so part of the rise in identity-theft complaints reflects the overall growth in complaints rather than a change specific to identity theft.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies get the most identity theft debt collection complaints?
In 2025, Equifax (6,230), TransUnion (6,213) and Experian (5,653) drew the most debt collection complaints to the CFPB in which the consumer said the debt resulted from identity theft. Resurgent Capital Services ranked fourth with 1,549. The counts are not adjusted for company size.
Why do credit bureaus get debt collection complaints about identity theft?
The CFPB reports that consumers with identity-theft debts often learned of the debt from their credit report or a credit monitoring alert, and many contacted the collectors listed on their report to remove it. The complaint data do not record why a consumer named a bureau instead of a collector. In 2025 the three bureaus accounted for 46.6% of these complaints.
How many debt collection complaints involve identity theft?
Consumers filed 38,831 debt collection complaints with the CFPB in 2025 saying the debt resulted from identity theft, 13.7% of all 283,203 debt collection complaints. In 2024 the count was 19,758.
Can I get a debt from identity theft removed from collections?
The CFPB reports that many consumers in these complaints completed an identity theft report and contacted the collectors listed on their credit report to remove the debt. This study counts complaints and does not show how they were resolved. In 2025, 38,831 such debt collection complaints were filed with the CFPB.
What does it mean when a collector tries to collect a debt that is not mine?
On the CFPB complaint form, "Attempts to collect debt not owed" is the issue for debts a consumer disputes. In 2025, 33.6% of the 115,682 complaints under that issue said the debt came from identity theft; most of the rest said the debt was not theirs at all.
Are identity theft debt collection complaints increasing?
Yes. They rose from 4,787 in 2018, the first full year the category existed, to 19,758 in 2024 and 38,831 in 2025. All debt collection complaints also rose in 2025, from 155,894 to 283,203.
Sources
- Consumer Complaint Database — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Annual Report 2025 — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- How we share complaint data — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Independent analysis. Settlement Insight is not a law firm and not affiliated with any agency named here. Analysis by Leonard Goldberg, Editor. How we work: methodology, our data.
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