With Black Friday and Christmas quickly approaching, new research has revealed the states most likely to fall victim to fraud, with Georgia ranking number one.
Wisconsin personal injury attorneys at Gruber Law Offices analyzed data from the Federal Trade Commission on the number of reported cases of fraud in each state in 2023. These figures were compared against the population of each state to identify which states had the highest number of fraud reports per 100,000 citizens, revealing where in the US people are most likely to fall victim.
Georgia ranks number one, with 1,564 fraud reports per 100,000 citizens last year. Overall, there were 166,229 reports in the state. The top fraud category in Georgia was credit bureaus, information furnishers and report users, responsible for 41,557 reports in total. This type of fraud affects credit reporting and maintenance.
Florida is second, with 1,563 reported cases of fraud per 100,000 citizens in 2023. There were 333,570 reports in total. The most frequent type of fraud was related to credit bureaus, information furnishers and report users, with 76,721 incidents.
Nevada places third, with 1,531 fraud reports per 100,000 people. The state recorded a total of 46,840 fraud incidents in 2023. Identity theft was the most reported category, with 9,836 cases.
Delaware takes fourth place, with 1,500 reported fraud cases per 100,000 residents. This translates to 14,733 total reports. Credit bureaus, information furnishers and report users was the most common fraud category, with 3,094 cases.
Maryland is next, with 1,372 cases per 100,000 citizens in 2023, a total of 84,353. The top fraud category was credit bureaus, information furnishers and report users, with 15,184 reports.
Arizona comes sixth, with 1,216 fraud reports per 100,000 citizens, amounting to 86,066 reports in total. Identity theft was the most common category, with 15,492 cases.
South Carolina ranks seventh, with 1,170 reported cases of fraud per 100,000 people last year. This is a total of 59,444 reports in 2023. Identity theft was the top category, with 11,889 reports.
Pennsylvania is eighth, with 1,149 fraud cases per 100,000 residents. There were 148,998 total cases in 2023. The leading fraud category was identity theft, accounting for 31,290 reports.
Virginia places ninth, with 1,139 reported cases per 100,000 people. In total, there were 97,746 reports. Identity theft was the most reported type of fraud, with 15,639 incidents
Texas rounds off the top ten, with 1,136 fraud reports per 100,000 citizens in 2023. There were 327,936 reports in total and the leading category was identity theft, with 78,705 cases.
On the other hand, the state least likely to fall victim to fraud is South Dakota, with 588 reports per 100,000 people in 2023. Closely following are North Dakota and Iowa, with 606 and 619 reports per 100,000 citizens, respectively.
David Gruber, a spokesperson for Gruber Law Offices has commented,
“Fraud is a significant issue in the US, especially in today’s digital age. The prevalence of credit-related fraud in many of these states suggests that technology plays a significant role.
“The risk of fraud is even higher around busy shopping periods like Black Friday and Christmas, when people are making more transactions than usual. Criminals often target these times to exploit the rushed nature of the holidays.
“To stay safe, especially during peak shopping times, always verify the legitimacy of websites, use strong and unique passwords, always use secure payment methods, and monitor your financial statements regularly.
“If you do fall victim to fraud, report it immediately to your financial institution and the relevant authorities to limit the damage.”
