Florida Is 2023’s 3rd Most Vulnerable State to Identity Theft & Fraud

By Adam McCann 

With the recent MOVEit data breach impacting over 83 million individuals so far with an estimated cost of more than $13.7 billion, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2024’s States Most Vulnerable to Identity Theft & Fraud.

To determine where Americans are most susceptible to fraud and identity theft, 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 amount due to fraud.

Florida’s Vulnerability to Identity Theft & Fraud (1=Most Vulnerable; 25=Avg.):

• Overall rank for Florida: 3^rd
• 3^rd – Identity-Theft Complaints per Capita
• 5^th – Fraud & Other Complaints per Capita
• 5^th – Median Loss Amount Due to Fraud
• 18^th – State Security-Freeze Laws for Minors’ Credit Reports
• 1^st – Identity-Theft Passport Program
• 12^th – Persons Arrested for Fraud per Capita

In recent years, significant data breaches have compromised many Americans’ personal information. U.S. consumers reported losing 30% more money due to fraud last year compared to the previous year, totaling nearly $8.8 million in losses nationwide. This year, the data breach of the MOVEit file transfer platform has already impacted over 2,600 organizations and upwards of 83 million individuals worldwide, and the list continues to grow. Several big companies and organizations were victims of this attack, from finance companies to professional services and education providers.

Each new year brings new strategies by identity thieves and fraudsters, but older schemes, such as tech support scams and fake IRS calls, still abound. Some Americans are more susceptible than others to such crimes, however. In order to determine who is most likely to be exposed to and affected by identity theft and fraud, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 14 key metrics. Our data set ranges from identity theft complaints per capita to the average loss due to fraud.

Main Findings

States With the Most Identity Theft & Fraud

Note: *No. 1 = Most Vulnerable
With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the worst conditions for that metric category.

In-Depth Look at the Most Vulnerable Places

District of Columbia

The District of Columbia, the seat of our nation’s government, is also alarmingly vulnerable to identity theft and fraud – more so than any of the 50 states, in fact. D.C. had a staggering 1,747 fraud complaints per 100,000 residents last year, more than anywhere else in the nation (and around 200 more than Georgia in second place).

One key reason why the District of Columbia is so vulnerable is that it unfortunately lacks key laws to protect consumers when it comes to things like data disposal, phishing, spyware and more. It’s a bit ironic that the place where all lawmakers meet hasn’t passed these important laws for its own residents.

Delaware

Delaware ranks second for vulnerability to identity theft and fraud, and one contributing factor is that it experienced a nearly 7% increase in fraud complaints per 100,000 residents year-over-year in 2022, the second highest in the nation. The median amount of money lost to fraud in the state is also very high, at $700.

Delaware is putting fraudsters behind bars, with the highest ratio of people arrested for fraud per capita in the country. But while it’s good to see criminals get caught, it’s unusual that a state with such a small population has such a high density of people committing fraud.

One positive thing to note about Delaware is that it’s one of only 11 states that have an identity theft passport program. Such a program helps victims of identity theft reclaim their identity afterward.

Florida

Florida is the state third-most exposed to identity theft and fraud, which is probably due in part to the fact that it has such a high population of seniors, a demographic more likely to fall victim to scams. Florida had 524 identity theft complaints and 1,446 fraud complaints for every 100,000 residents last year, some of the highest numbers in the nation.

In addition, Florida was one of the only states where identity theft complaints increased last year (by 1.75%) – most states had fairly large decreases. The median loss due to fraud last year was around $800, which hits especially hard when many residents are retired and on a fixed income.

Identity-Theft Complaints per Capita

Most

• 1. Georgia
• 2. Louisiana
• 3. Florida
• 4. Delaware
• T-5. District of Columbia
• T-5. Nevada

Fewest

• 47. Maine
• 48. Iowa
• 49. Wyoming
• 50. Vermont
• 51. South Dakota

Best State vs. Worst State: 8x Difference

Georgia vs. South Dakota

Avg. Loss Amount Due to Online Identity Theft

Highest

• T-1. Vermont
• T-1. Maine
• T-1. Maryland
• T-1. Hawaii
• 5. Kentucky

Lowest

• 47. Montana
• 48. Oklahoma
• 49. Alaska
• 50. New Mexico
• 51. Kansas

Best State vs. Worst State: 65x Difference

Vermont vs. Kansas

Show More

Quick Tips for Avoiding Identity Theft & Fraud

• Emphasize Email Security: Using strong passwords for all financial accounts is important, but you may not realize how essential it is to focus on email. Your primary email address will likely be your username and means of resetting your password on other websites. If it’s vulnerable, all of your other accounts will be, too. As a result, use an exceptionally secure password and establish two-step verification for this account.
• Sign up for Credit Monitoring: Credit monitoring is the best way to keep tabs on your credit report. It provides peace of mind through alerts about significant changes to your file, including potential signs of identity theft. WalletHub offers free monitoring of your TransUnion credit report.
• Leverage Account Alerts & Update Contact Info: Setting up online management for all of your financial accounts (e.g., credit cards, loans, Social Security), and keeping your phone number, email address, and street address up to date will make them harder for identity thieves to hijack. Establishing alerts for changes to your contact info and other suspicious account activity will safeguard you.
• Use Common Sense Online: Don’t open emails you don’t recognize. Don’t download files from untrustworthy sources. Don’t send account numbers and passwords via email or messenger applications. And don’t enter financial or personal information into websites that lack the “https” prefix in their URLs.

For more tips and information, check out WalletHub’s Identity Theft Guide.