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 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.
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%.
| Rank | Theft type | Number of reports | Percentage of reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Credit card fraud | 271,823 | 41.76% |
| 2 | Other identity theft | 215,682 | 33.15% |
| 3 | Loan or lease fraud | 104,699 | 16.09% |
| 4 | Phone or utilies fraud | 83,535 | 12.84% |
| 5 | Bank fraud | 58,723 | 9.03% |
| 6 | Employment or tax-related fraud | 45,564 | 7.00% |
| 7 | Government documents or benefits fraud | 23,052 | 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.
| Rank | State | Total identity theft | Credit card fraud | Loan or lease fraud | Phone or utilities fraud | Bank fraud | Employment or tax-related fraud | Government documents or benefits fraud | Other identity theft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 422.8 | 175.8 | 94.6 | 48.5 | 21.3 | 12.2 | 6.5 | 181.8 |
| 2 | Florida | 301.9 | 153.9 | 46.1 | 36.5 | 24.9 | 14.9 | 9.7 | 91.6 |
| 3 | California | 257.2 | 130.3 | 31.7 | 22.1 | 21.7 | 17.1 | 8.6 | 75.5 |
| 4 | Texas | 253.7 | 93.3 | 65.9 | 35.1 | 18.6 | 18 | 7.2 | 89.4 |
| 5 | Nevada | 251.8 | 94.4 | 34.4 | 24.6 | 22.3 | 16.8 | 8.4 | 104.7 |
| 6 | Louisiana | 227.6 | 68.4 | 73.8 | 33.4 | 13.3 | 11.2 | 6.3 | 96.4 |
| 7 | Delaware | 224.7 | 86.3 | 34.9 | 46.1 | 32.5 | 8.8 | 5.9 | 59.9 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | 219.6 | 82.7 | 35.7 | 33.9 | 20.4 | 20 | 10.9 | 74.1 |
| 9 | South Carolina | 210.8 | 71.8 | 49.4 | 29.8 | 15 | 8.1 | 5.3 | 92 |
| 10 | Maryland | 209.7 | 84.7 | 34.1 | 33.1 | 21 | 11.4 | 6.1 | 77.3 |
| 11 | New Jersey | 205.1 | 109.9 | 26.4 | 26.3 | 16.7 | 11.1 | 7.2 | 49.5 |
| 12 | New York | 186.8 | 96.6 | 22.8 | 26.3 | 16.7 | 11.1 | 7.2 | 49.5 |
| 13 | Illinois | 182.6 | 73.9 | 29.5 | 29.5 | 17.9 | 12.3 | 7.1 | 57.8 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 177.2 | 64.7 | 32.6 | 22.3 | 12.4 | 8.7 | 5.6 | 73 |
| 15 | Alabama | 172.4 | 65.7 | 42.4 | 21.7 | 14.4 | 10.6 | 5.3 | 65.9 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 163.2 | 63.7 | 22.5 | 26.5 | 15.7 | 10.2 | 6.7 | 52.6 |
| 17 | Mississippi | 158.4 | 51.6 | 42.7 | 17.9 | 12.3 | 10.7 | 5.8 | 66.9 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 156.2 | 50.2 | 27.6 | 18.5 | 15.1 | 9.1 | 5.5 | 68.6 |
| 19 | Arkansas | 149.9 | 40.2 | 23.5 | 17.7 | 13.5 | 12.6 | 5.3 | 70.5 |
| 20 | Arizona | 147.6 | 56.4 | 18.6 | 20.5 | 15.7 | 20.4 | 6.3 | 42.9 |
| 21 | Utah | 146.7 | 59.7 | 36.4 | 16.8 | 12.8 | 10 | 3.7 | 61.7 |
| 22 | Michigan | 135.5 | 46.9 | 16.2 | 31 | 13.1 | 9.8 | 5.5 | 40.6 |
| 23 | Connecticut | 128 | 58.8 | 13.6 | 23.3 | 16.2 | 12.4 | 5 | 26.3 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | 124.9 | 49 | 8.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 9 | 4.3 | 44 |
| 25 | Missouri | 120.7 | 41 | 22.2 | 19.8 | 16.5 | 9.4 | 5.4 | 40.8 |
| 26 | Virginia | 120.5 | 45.8 | 20.3 | 15.5 | 14.6 | 7 | 3.8 | 40.3 |
| 27 | Ohio | 118 | 48.2 | 16 | <20 /> | 12.6 | 8.5 | 4.5 | 35.8 |
| 28 | Colorado | 108.9 | 44.6 | 11 | 15.5 | 16.8 | 13.4 | 5.4 | 25.5 |
| 29 | Rhode Island | 108.2 | 43.3 | 9.3 | 18.5 | 13.5 | 9.2 | 5.9 | 29.9 |
| 30 | New Mexico | 99.6 | 33.9 | 12.9 | 13.2 | 16.6 | 14.9 | 6.7 | 24.4 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | 95.8 | 43.7 | 5.4 | 25.4 | 11.9 | 4 | 3.9 | 18.1 |
| 32 | Hawaii | 95.1 | 44.2 | 12 | 8.5 | 12.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 28.8 |
| 33 | Oregon | 95 | 36.3 | 7.9 | 19.5 | 15.6 | 8.3 | 6 | 21.7 |
| 34 | Indiana | 94.9 | 33.2 | 12.3 | 14.2 | 10.8 | 7.8 | 5.8 | 31.2 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | 93.7 | 32.6 | 11.7 | 12 | 14 | 9.6 | 10.3 | 26.2 |
| 36 | Washington | 93.4 | 38.5 | 9.7 | 12.2 | 18.2 | 9.4 | 5.7 | 23.2 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | 86.3 | 33.2 | 12.6 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 7.4 | 3.7 | 25.7 |
| 38 | Minnesota | 79.8 | 39.9 | 7.2 | 10 | 12.3 | 5.9 | 3.3 | 16.7 |
| 39 | Idaho | 79.5 | 25.1 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 24.3 | 4.6 | 3 | 18.4 |
| 40 | Kansas | 78 | 31.6 | 9.3 | 11.5 | 13.3 | 7.7 | 3.9 | 19.3 |
| 41 | Alaska | 73.7 | 25.4 | 7.2 | 13 | 9.6 | 6.3 | 4.1 | 23.2 |
| 42 | Nebraska | 68.2 | 23.6 | 5.9 | 10 | 12 | 11.1 | 4.7 | 16.9 |
| 43 | Nebraska | 68.2 | 23.6 | 5.9 | 10 | 12 | 11.1 | 4.7 | 16.9 |
| 44 | Montana | 66.2 | 23.3 | 3.6 | 17 | 8.5 | 5.9 | 5.6 | 15.2 |
| 45 | Iowa | 60.5 | 21.8 | 5.6 | 9.4 | 10.6 | 6.6 | 3.5 | 16.5 |
| 46 | Maine | 60 | 17.2 | 3.4 | 8.5 | 7.6 | 14.5 | 6.5 | 9.7 |
| 47 | West Virginia | 59.2 | 21.5 | 4.4 | 11.6 | 9.9 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 15.1 |
| 48 | North Dakota | 58.8 | 25.1 | 9.3 | 9.1 | 8.7 | 4.3 | 2.5 | 13.8 |
| 49 | Wyoming | 55.1 | 18.5 | 6 | 6.9 | 10.2 | 6.9 | 4.3 | 14.7 |
| 50 | Vermont | 54.2 | 23.6 | 2.7 | 8.3 | 6.6 | 7.2 | 2.9 | 10.9 |
| 51 | South Dakota | 46.5 | 18.2 | 4.1 | 9.4 | 6 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 9.3 |
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.
| Rank | Metropolitan area | Reports per 100,000 residents | Number of reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warner Robins, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area | 661 | 1,281 |
| 2 | 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 |
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:
Richard Laycock, Insights editor and senior content marketing manager
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