Which States Have the Most Cases of Identity Theft?

Identity theft is a big problem in the United States. Cyber criminals have been hacking into big data banks to pilfer personal information, including financial data, for many years. Recently, data analyzed by WalletHub was used to determine where identity theft occurs most often, and how much money has been lost to these cyber thieves.

In the past 13 years, there have been nearly 9,400 data breaches, which means more than 1 billion accounts have been compromised. That means there’s a good chance that your information could be floating around the dark web, where personal data is bought and sold.

It may help to know whether you live in a state that’s known for identity theft because then you can be more vigilant about what’s happening with your data. Keep reading to see how the data has been parsed and where your home state lands in the top lists.

Top 5 States with the Most Identity Theft Complaints

When someone steals your identity and opens a new line of credit or other financial account, that’s identity theft. It’s much harder to clean up than a couple of fraudulent charges. These are the top areas where identity theft complaints are the most common, per capita.

1. District of Columbia
2. Michigan
3. Florida
4. California
5. Maryland

Highest Identity Theft Loss Amount

Online identity theft doesn’t have to leave you destitute, but the financial centers and insurance providers who end up footing the bill are taking hits — and that has a trickle-down effect. Bottom line is, identity theft means money is lost. Here’s where the highest losses are counted in the country.

1. Ohio
2. North Dakota
3. West Virginia
4. Nebraska
5. New Jersey

To protect yourself, make sure you change your passwords often. And it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your bank accounts and credit card statements. If you see anything suspicious, you should report it right away to avoid being charged, and to shut down access to the aspiring criminal.

Most Fraud Complaints per Capita

Although fraud is easier to reverse than identity theft, it can still be a frustrating problem, and if you aren’t protected, it could still cost you. The top five states with the most fraud complaints are listed below.

1. District of Columbia
2. Florida
3. Georgia
4. Nevada
5. Delaware

The steps you need to take to ensure you don’t see any extra charges on your accounts are the same as with protecting your identity. Keep your eyes on your accounts to see if there are any charges you don’t recognize. Change your passwords often, too. If your information has been floating around the dark web, then you should be aware that subsequent attempts to commit fraud and make unauthorized charges on your cards could viably occur long after that initial data breach.

Top 10 States with the Most Overall Identity Theft and Fraud

The following are the 10 states with the highest identity theft and fraud. There are several factors WalletHub considered when coming up with these rankings, including instances of both identity theft and fraud.

1. Nevada
2. Florida
3. New Jersey
4. Delaware
5. California
6. District of Columbia
7. New York
8. West Virginia
9. Michigan
10. North Dakota

If you want to know whether anyone has tried to steal your identity, run a public records search on yourself. Take note of anything that seems off to you, and then you can take the necessary steps to get the situation straightened out.

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