The states most at risk to identity theft and credit card fraud ranked
423 cases per 100,000 resident for state with highest identity theft
As the world continues to cope with COVID-19, America is seeing cases of identity theft soar to record highs. Of the 3.2 million reports to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book in 2019, 20% — or 650,572 — related to identity theft. And already in the first quarter of 2020, reports of fraud and identity theft are up 20.1% from the previous quarter.
The numbers could rise as more people continue to work from home and new reports of coronavirus-related fraud and scams come in.
Among these all-time-high cases, credit card fraud leads the charge.
Identity theft vs. account takeover
Identity theft involves the unauthorized access of personal information, such as your name and Social Security number. Account takeover is when a fraudster accesses account information — such as credit card numbers — with the intent of committing fraud on existing accounts.
In 2019, victims reported $160.3 million worth of losses resulting from identity theft, according to the FBI. Credit card fraud made up the overwhelming majority of that $160.3 million.
This number represents only what was reported through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, however, and doesn’t account for reports made directly to field agents.
Most common types of identity theft
Swiping the competition in 2019 was credit card fraud, which accounted for 41.78% of all identity theft reports to the FTC, followed by other identity theft, which includes fraud conducted via email and social media. Least common was government documents or benefit fraud at 3.54%.
The dubious honor of state with the most identity theft reports goes to Georgia, with the Peach State logging 423 cases per 100,000 people in 2019 — 176 of those falling under the credit card fraud umbrella.
Florida came in just south of Georgia with 154 cases of credit card fraud per 100,000 people, followed by California and Texas.
The state with the fewest number of reports was South Dakota, with 47 reports of fraud per 100,000 people, followed by Vermont and Wyoming.
Several states in the middle of the country also came in at the middle of the pack — like Missouri and Colorado, with 41 and 45 reports of credit card fraud per capita, respectively.
Georgia maintains its top spot in individual metropolitan areas, accounting for three of the five areas with the most reports of identity theft per capita — Warner Robins, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell and Macon-Bibb County. A person convicted of financial transaction card fraud of more than $100.00 within a six-month period in Georgia can be charged with a felony. The ramifications can be a fine of up to $5,000.00 or a prison term of one and five years. On the flip side, Muncie, Indiana, logged the least number of reports at 37 per 100,000 people, followed by Glens Falls, New York, and Tullahoma-Manchester, Tennessee.
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area
570
33,940
3
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area
556
34,458
4
Macon-Bibb County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area
455
1,045
5
Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area
446
6,027
6
Columbus, GA-AL Metropolitan Statistical Area
433
1,322
7
Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
411
3,420
8
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area
410
54,553
9
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area
367
25,656
10
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area
367
27,637
Rank
Metropolitan area
Reports per 100,000 residents
Number of reports
1
Muncie, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
32
37
2
Tullahoma-Manchester, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area
34
35
3
Glens Falls, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area
34
43
4
Lewiston-Auburn, ME Metropolitan Statistical Area
38
41
5
Appleton, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area
41
97
6
Owensboro, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area
41
49
7
Wenatchee, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area
42
50
8
Bismarck, ND Metropolitan Statistical Area
41
54
9
Ogdensburg-Massena, NY Micropolitan Statistical Area
43
46
10
Eau Claire, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area
43
72
Methodology
Finder sourced all data from the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2019, released by the Federal Trade Commission in January 2020. The Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book uses reports in its Sentinel secure online database available to law enforcement only. These consumer reports are about fraud, identity theft and other consumer protection topics, with more than 3.2 million consumer reports filed in 2019.
The reports in Sentinel are sourced directly from:
People who call the FTC’s call center or report online
Reports filed with other federal, state, local and international law enforcement
Organizations like the Better Business Bureau and Publishers Clearing House
For all media inquiries, please contact:
Richard Laycock, Insights editor and senior content marketing manager
Kelly Larson is an editor at Finder who’s written dozens and edited hundreds of articles that help Americans make better financial decisions on everything from credit cards to mortgages to savings accounts. He’s well-versed in fact-checking content for accuracy, editing copy to remove biases and ensuring our content remains independent from affiliates, advertisers and partners. Prior to his role at Finder, Kelly led editorial newsrooms in the creation of award-winning content as a managing editor in the digital space. He holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Kansas.
If you’re looking for a credit card but have a bad credit rating, use this guide to compare suitable credit cards and regain control over your finances.
Shopping online is very simple and convenient, yet can seem risky for cardholders. Follow this guide and make sure to keep your personal details safe too.
Canceling a credit card can be a good idea, especially if you’re not using it any longer, if it’s been stolen or if you’re in the market for a new card. It’s important you do it the right way, though, or you risk damaging your credit file or paying costs from your existing account.
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