December is National Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month. So far this year, 901 data breaches have been reported, WalletHub analyses, "2016’s States Most Vulnerable to Identity Theft & Fraud" and "Identity Theft Guide," show.
To measure the level of susceptibility to these crimes, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia in six areas. They ranges from “identity-theft complaints per capita” to “average loss amount due to fraud.”
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Most Vulnerable States |
Least Vulnerable States |
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1 |
District of Columbia |
42 |
Oklahoma |
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2 |
California |
43 |
Kentucky |
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3 |
Florida |
44 |
Idaho |
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4 |
Massachusetts |
45 |
Montana |
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5 |
Nevada |
46 |
Iowa |
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6 |
Illinois |
47 |
North Dakota |
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7 |
Texas |
48 |
Arkansas |
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8 |
Michigan |
49 |
West Virginia |
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9 |
Missouri |
50 |
Maine |
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10 |
Connecticut |
51 |
South Dakota |
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Key findings
- Missouri has the most identity-theft complaints per 100,000 residents, 364.3, 5.8 times more than in Hawaii, which has the fewest at 62.6.
- The District of Columbia has the highest average loss amount due to online identity theft, $16,629, 21 times higher than in Montana, which has the lowest at $806.
- Florida has the most fraud complaints per 100,000 residents, 1,510, 5.4 times more than in North Dakota, which has the fewest at 279.
- Hawaii has the highest average loss amount due to fraud, $2,555, 5.1 times higher than in Maine, which has the lowest at $501.
Click here to view the report and your state’s or the district’s rank.
