Are You at Risk for Identity Theft, Fraud? Depends on Where You Live
Consumers today are more vulnerable than ever to being exposed to identity theft and fraud. But it turns out that your risk for being hacked has a lot to do with where you live.
While some Americans are more susceptible to fraud and identity theft than others, scammers more intensely target certain locations to steal the most money for the least amount of work.
In light of the recent Equifax data breach, in which the personal information of more than 145 million Americans was jeopardized, WalletHub set out to determine who is the most likely to be exposed to and affected by identity theft and fraud. Analysts compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across three dimensions: (1) identity theft, (2) fraud and (3) policy.
Within these three dimensions, analysts looked at eight key metrics — ranging from the number of fraud complaints to the availability of identity-theft programs — to grade each state from the least vulnerable to the most vulnerable.
Here are the top 10 states in which Americans are the most vulnerable to identity theft and fraud. If you live in one of these states, it might be time to protect your assets.
