New Study Puts Missouri At #29 For Identity Theft And Fraud Vulnerability

A new report released by the personal finance website WalletHub.com shows Missouri to be about in the middle of the pack when it comes to the states most vulnerable to identity theft and fraud.

Using 15 keys metrics including identity theft and fraud ranks, and policy rank, Missouri was identified as the 29^th most vulnerable state fairing the best, with a #3 ranking for policies aimed at reducing the problem.

The worst states in the study, which included the District of Columbia, are Connecticut, Montana and Vermont while the least vulnerable states were identified as Georgia, California and Florida.

Full Report:

In recent years, significant data breaches have compromised many Americans’ personal information. U.S. consumers reported losing 25% more money due to fraud last year compared to the previous year, totaling nearly $12.5 billion in losses nationwide. This year, a major data breach involving AT&T has exposed sensitive information from nearly 86 million customer accounts, including over 44 million Social Security numbers in plain text. The leaked data, now circulating on the dark web, affects a wide range of individuals and poses significant risks of identity theft and fraud.

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 15 key metrics. Our data set ranges from identity theft complaints per capita to the average loss due to fraud.

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 24/7 monitoring of your TransUnion credit report if you sign up for a free account, and you can also get advanced identity theft protection with WalletHub Premium.
• 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.

States With the Most Identity Theft & Fraud

Notes: *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.