With Americans having lost $10 billion to scams last year, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on the States Most Vulnerable to Identity Theft & Fraud, along with expert commentary, to identify where people are most at risk of financial harm.
WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 14 key metrics. The data set ranges from identity theft complaints per capita to the average loss due to fraud.
South Carolina ranks 15th overall in WalletHub’s report on the States Most Vulnerable to Identity Theft & Fraud, underscoring the state’s moderate exposure to financial scams and identity-related crimes. While South Carolina is 19th in identity theft and 13th in fraud, its policy rank of 13 highlights efforts to combat these issues through measures aimed at prevention and protection. The state’s performance indicates room for improvement, especially in safeguarding residents from fraud, which remains a significant threat across the nation.
| Overall Rank* | State | Total Score | Identity Theft Rank | Fraud Rank | Policy Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 73.48 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| 2 | Delaware | 66.34 | 6 | 1 | 32 |
| 3 | California | 60.83 | 4 | 9 | 41 |
| 4 | South Dakota | 59.59 | 7 | 11 | 3 |
| 5 | Florida | 59.06 | 18 | 2 | 32 |
| 6 | Nevada | 58.50 | 13 | 4 | 19 |
| 7 | Connecticut | 57.05 | 2 | 41 | 32 |
| 8 | Arizona | 56.78 | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| 9 | Texas | 54.97 | 12 | 10 | 41 |
| 10 | Iowa | 54.78 | 3 | 38 | 37 |
| 11 | Georgia | 54.23 | 15 | 7 | 41 |
| 12 | Minnesota | 53.95 | 8 | 21 | 26 |
| 13 | Colorado | 52.98 | 11 | 25 | 19 |
| 14 | New Jersey | 52.67 | 9 | 37 | 3 |
| 15 | South Carolina | 52.64 | 19 | 13 | 13 |
Key Stats
- South Dakota has the fewest identity-theft complaints (per 100,000 residents), 5.1 times fewer than in the District of Columbia, the state with the most.
- The District of Columbia has the fewest people arrested for fraud per capita, 20.7 times fewer than in Delaware, the state with the most.
- South Dakota has the fewest fraud complaints (per 100,000 residents), 3.2 times fewer than in the District of Columbia, which has the most.
- Kentucky has the lowest median loss amount due to fraud, 2.1 times lower than in Alaska, the state with the highest.
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-where-identity-theft-and-fraud-are-worst/17549
