If you're worried about becoming a victim of identity theft and fraud, then don't worry: Florida isn't the No. 1 state where crap like that happens.
We're No. 2.
That rank is according to WalletHub, which conducted a study to determine where Americans are most susceptible to such crimes.
The personal finance website compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: Identity theft, fraud and policy using ten, weighted key metrics like theft and fraud complaints per capita, average loss amount due to online identity theft, e-commerce attack rates, the availability of an identity-theft passport program and more.
Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most vulnerable. Florida's total score was 69.11 (only Nevada scored higher with a 72.66).
The Sunshine State ranked first in fraud and other complaints per capita and first in the identity-theft passport program. The latter metric considers the presence or absence of programs that help victims of identity theft reclaim their identity.
"When presented to a law-enforcement agency, an 'identity-theft passport' allows a victim to prevent his or her arrest for offenses committed by an identity thief," according to WalletHub. See the state's ranking and a map of the United States below. The full study is available via wallethub.com.
Florida’s Vulnerability to Identity Theft & Fraud (1=Most Vulnerable; 25=Avg.)
- 3rd – Identity-Theft Complaints per Capita
- 26th – Avg. Loss Amount Due to Online Identity Theft
- 1st – Fraud & Other Complaints per Capita
- 18th – State Security-Freeze Laws for Minors’ Credit Reports
- 1st – Identity-Theft Passport Program
- 12th – Persons Arrested for Fraud per Capita
- 8th – Compliance with REAL ID Act
This article appears in Oct 11-18, 2018.

