Where Does Fraud Occur the Most in the United States?

How Much Money Is Lost to Fraud Each Year?

In 2020, consumers reported losing more than $3.3 billion to fraud, which is a major increase from $1.8 billion in 2019. The top three types of reports filed were identity theft, impostor scams, and online shopping and negative reviews. What U.S. state has the most fraud? In terms of fraud cases per capita, Florida tops the chart at 993 reports per 100,000 people. Florida is often referred to as the scam capital of the United States, and many may suspect that that’s because of the state’s large senior population. However, millennials have become the most susceptible target of fraud in Florida, with debt collection, identity theft, and impostor scams being the most common. This TitleMax.com infographic explores where fraud occurs the most in the United States and the states with the most identity theft:

Where Does Fraud Occur the Most in the United States? infographic

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Where Does Fraud Occur the Most in the United States? Transcript

U.S. States With the Most Fraud Reports per 100,000 People

State Reports per 100,000 People Most Common Type of Fraud Total Fraud Loss
Florida 993 Debt collection $54.7M
Georgia 924 Debt collection $18.6M
Nevada 770 Debt collection $7.7M
Delaware 758 Debt collection $1.8M
Michigan 750 Debt collection $15.3M
Texas 729 Debt collection $57.6M
Maryland 694 Debt collection $12.4M
Alabama 687 Debt collection $7M
South Carolina 660 Debt collection $8.9M
Tennessee 649 Debt collection $13.7M
Arizona 644 Debt collection $19.3M
Missouri 640 Debt collection $10.4M
Virginia 613 Debt collection $14.1M
Ohio 598 Debt collection $14.7M
New Mexico 590 Debt collection $3.2M
North Carolina 587 Debt collection $18.4M
Louisiana 582 Debt collection $8.4M
California 570 Debt collection $89.9M
Colorado 568 Identity theft $10.3M
Rhode Island 561 Debt collection $1.3M
Pennsylvania 560 Debt collection $20.7M
New Jersey 556 Debt collection $16.8M
Connecticut 541 Identity theft $6.7M
Indiana 521 Debt collection $9.3M
Washington 521 Impostor scams $17.9M
Illinois 518 Identity theft $21.9M
Mississippi 514 Debt collection $4.7M
Oregon 512 Impostor scams $10M
New York 510 Identity theft $40.2M
New Hampshire 509 Impostor scams $1.3M
Kentucky 502 Debt collection $6M
Kansas 501 Impostor scams $6.2M
West Virginia 493 Impostor scams $5.8M
Massachusetts 481 Debt collection $11M
Arkansas 481 Debt collection $5.3M
Oklahoma 478 Debt collection $5M
Idaho 477 Impostor scams $2.2M
Montana 473 Impostor scams $1.3M
Wisconsin 452 Impostor scams $7.6M
Minnesota 434 Impostor scams $10.1M
Hawaii 428 Impostor scams $2.9M
Maine 423 Auto-related $1.2M
Wyoming 414 Impostor scams $.8M
Utah 413 Impostor scams $6.1M
Alaska 406 Impostor scams $1.1M
Nebraska 395 Impostor scams $1.5M
Vermont 388 Impostor scams $.5M
Iowa 330 Impostor scams $4.2M
South Dakota 309 Impostor scams $1.9M
North Dakota 277 Identity theft $1M

U.S. States Ranked by Identity Theft Reports

State Reports per 100,000 People Most Common Type of Identity Theft
1. Michigan 151 Government documents or benefits fraud
2. Florida 149 Credit card fraud
3. California 140 Credit card fraud
4. Maryland 129 Credit card fraud
5. Nevada 128 Credit card fraud
6. Delaware 126 Credit card fraud
7. Illinois 124 Credit card fraud
8. Rhode Island 123 Employment or tax-related fraud
9. Georgia 120 Credit card fraud
10. Arizona 119 Employment or tax-related fraud
11. Texas 118 Credit card fraud
12. Connecticut 114 Credit card fraud
13. Colorado 108 Credit card fraud
14. New Jersey 106 Credit card fraud
15. New York 103 Credit card fraud
16. Washington 99 Credit card fraud
17. Pennsylvania 97 Credit card fraud
18. North Carolina 92 Credit card fraud
19. New Mexico 91 Credit card fraud
20. Virginia 90 Credit card fraud
21. South Carolina 90 Credit card fraud
22. Oregon 90 Credit card fraud
23. Massachusetts 88 Credit card fraud
24. Tennessee 83 Credit card fraud
25. New Hampshire 82 Credit card fraud
26. Missouri 82 Credit card fraud
27. Utah 79 Credit card fraud
28. Idaho 79 Credit card fraud
29. Ohio 78 Credit card fraud
30. Minnesota 78 Credit card fraud
31. Indiana 75 Credit card fraud
32. Alabama 74 Credit card fraud
33. Oklahoma 74 Credit card fraud
34. Kansas 72 Credit card fraud
35. Louisiana 71 Credit card fraud
36. Arkansas 69 Credit card fraud
37. Mississippi 69 Employment or tax-related fraud
38. Kentucky 69 Employment or tax-related fraud
39. Wyoming 67 Credit card fraud
40. Alaska 67 Credit card fraud
41. Wisconsin 64 Credit card fraud
42. Hawaii 62 Credit card fraud
43. North Dakota 62 Credit card fraud
44. Nebraska 61 Credit card fraud
45. Montana 61 Credit card fraud
46. Maine 60 Credit card fraud
47. Iowa 59 Credit card fraud
48. Vermont 57 Credit card fraud
49. West Virginia 55 Credit card fraud
50. South Dakota 46 Credit card fraud

The Top 10 Most Reported Fraud Types in 2017

Fraud Type # of Reports
Debt Collection 608,535
Identity Theft 371,061
Impostor Scams 347,829
Telephone and Mobile Services 149,578
Banks and Lenders 149,316
Prizes, Sweepstakes, and Lotteries 142,870
Shop-at-Home and Catalog Sales 126,387
Credit Bureaus, Information Furnishers, and Report Users 107,473
Auto-Related 86,289
Television and Electronic Media 47,456

The Top 5 Most Costly Fraud Categories

Total Fraud Losses: $905 million

Fraud Type Annual Cost
Impostor Scams $328M
Prizes, Sweepstakes, and Lotteries $95M
Shop-at-Home and Catalog Sales $94M
Business and Job Opportunities $47M
Travel, Vacations, and Timeshare Plans $38M

Sources:

https://www.ftc.gov/policy/reports/policy-reports/commission-staff-reports/consumer-sentinel-network-data-book-2017/main

Here are the top 20 states with the most fraud reports per 100,000 people and the most common type of fraud in each:

  1. Florida — 993 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  2. Georgia — 924 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  3. Nevada — 770 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  4. Delaware — 758 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  5. Michigan — 750 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  6. Texas — 729 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  7. Maryland — 694 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  8. Alabama — 687 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  9. South Carolina — 660 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  10. Tennessee — 649 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  11. Arizona — 644 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  12. Missouri — 640 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  13. Virginia — 613 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  14. Ohio — 598 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  15. New Mexico — 590 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  16. North Carolina — 587 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  17. Louisiana — 582 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  18. California — 570 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)
  19. Colorado — 568 reports per 100,000 people (identity theft)
  20. Rhode Island — 561 reports per 100,000 people (debt collection)

Here are the top ten states with the most identity theft and the most common type of identity theft in each:

  1. Michigan — 151 reports per 100,000 people (government documents and benefit fraud)
  2. Florida — 149 reports per 100,000 people (credit card fraud)
  3. California — 140 reports per 100,000 people (credit card fraud)
  4. Maryland — 129 reports per 100,000 people (credit card fraud)
  5. Nevada — 128 reports per 100,000 people (credit card fraud)
  6. Delaware — 126 reports per 100,000 people (credit card fraud)
  7. Illinois — 124 reports per 100,000 people (credit card fraud)
  8. Rhode Island — 123 reports per 100,000 people (credit card fraud)
  9. Georgia — 120 reports per 100,000 people (credit card fraud)
  10. Arizona — 119 reports per 100,000 people (employment or tax-related fraud)

Since identity theft is one of the most harmful and prevalent forms of fraud, here are some resources on how to avoid identity theft as well as other types of fraud:

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