Identity theft became a large problem when people started storing their data online. Several major hacks of big companies have exposed tens of millions of records. Some of these include emails and Social Security numbers. Although sophisticated software protects this data, hackers sometimes outsmart it. A recent study showed that Nevada is the state where one is most likely to be a victim of this activity. (Click here for the most used passwords in America and how long they take to crack.)
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A recent study by Money.com looked at fraud reports from the Federal Trade Commission. These included identity theft, scams and fake debt collection. It then measured this against the population of each state to calculate fraud per 100,000 people.
Nevada’s fraud rate in 2021 was 1,542 per 100,000 people. This calculation was based on 46,736 total fraud incidents. Georgia was next with 1,495, against a total of 157,265. Maryland took third place at 1,477, against a total of 89,205.
At the far end of the spectrum, South Dakota had the lowest rate at 578 per 100,000, against a total of 5,079. It is hard to tell if this universe is large enough to compare to more populous states.
A week ago, 37 million T-Mobile accounts were hacked. It would seem such a large company with a trove of customer personal data would have measures to protect them. It seems this was not the case.
24/7 Wall St.| State | Total Frauds | Frauds per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 46,736 | 1,542 |
| Georgia | 157,265 | 1,495 |
| Maryland | 89,205 | 1,477 |
| Delaware | 14,284 | 1,476 |
| Florida | 312,434 | 1,473 |
| Louisiana | 60,533 | 1,298 |
| Alabama | 62,083 | 1,269 |
| Pennsylvania | 160,370 | 1,253 |
| Tennessee | 84,503 | 1,248 |
| South Carolina | 61,658 | 1,211 |
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