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Safest US States by Fraud and Scam of January 2025

Elite Personal Finance
Last Update: December 1, 2024 • Fraud • Identity Theft • Living • Scams •
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Key Findings

  • There were 2.68 million total fraud reports.
  • The safest state is North Dakota, with a score of 2.77 and 2,090 reports overall.
  • The least safe state is Florida, with 9.93 reports per 1,000 people and 208.443 total complaints.
  • The ratio between the least safe and the safest state (Florida/North Dakota) is 3.58.
  • Again, similar to our identity theft analysis pattern, there are five states with fewer than 1 million residents in the top 10 states.
  • Among 10 states with the lowest score, three have more than 10 million people. This leads us to the same conclusion as in our identity theft analysis.
  • The least populated states are obviously safer than those with the largest population.

Residents in some states are more vulnerable to fraud and scams, according to a review of federal data by ElitePersonalFinance. There were around 2.7 million complaints in the US, according to the data from the Federal Trade Commission report.

According to the Consumer Sentinel Network, U.S. consumers paid $905 million in fraud complaints, while the average sum paid was $429.

You wouldn’t be wrong if you said that fraud is more prevalent in bigger states. This is another post in the series of posts by ElitePersonalFinance in which we analyzed safety levels across the country. This time, we picked the fraud level in states as our category.

Ranking Criteria

For this analysis, ElitePersonalFinance collected data from the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book.

To determine the safest states, we calculated the number of fraud and other scams per 1,000 residents. This means that the safest states have the ‘lowest scores.’ For example, the safest state, North Dakota, has a score of 2.77, which means that 2.77 in 1,000 of its residents reported fraud.

The least safe state is Florida, with a score of 9.93, 9.93 complaints per 1,000 residents.

*Please note that victims didn’t report all cases.

10 Safest States in The US of January 2025

1st Place – North Dakota

Fraud reports per 1,000: 2.77
Total fraud reports: 2,090

Congratulations! First place is well deserved. Not only did North Dakota top all other states in this category, but it also scored very high on our identity theft safety list.

2nd Place – South Dakota

Fraud reports per 1,000: 3.09
Total fraud reports: 2,689

This time, the two Dakotas remain unseparated, unlike in the fraud list.

3rd Place – Iowa

Fraud reports per 1,000: 3.30
Total fraud reports: 10,370

With 4th place in the fraud category and 3rd place in this one, Iowa is definitely one of the safest states for fraud.

4th Place – Vermont

Fraud reports per 1000: 3.88
Total fraud reports: 2,417

Another state with a small population got in the top 10. Vermont remains adamant and leaves no space for fraudsters to threaten its residents.

5th Place – Nebraska

Fraud reports per 1000: 3.95
Total fraud reports: 7,590

This is one more state that scored great in both categories. Nebraska, keep up the good work!

6th Place – Alaska

Fraud reports per 1000: 4.06
Total fraud reports: 3,005

The ice and snow land scored much better on this test than on the identity theft safety test. When it comes to fraud, its residents can stay relatively calm.

7th Place – Utah

Fraud reports per 1000: 4.13
Total fraud reports: 12,817

This time, Utah ranked 7th on our list, two steps up from last year. Together with South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Iowa, this region is undoubtedly the safest part of the US.

8th Place – Wyoming

Fraud reports per 1000: 4.14
Total fraud reports: 2,396

The least populated of all states can boast about its safety levels when it comes to fraud. This state scored high on both our lists, and we can only say: Congratulations!

9th Place – Maine

Fraud reports per 1000: 4.23
Total fraud reports: 5,647

Well done, Maine! One more state scored high in both identity theft and fraud categories.

10th Place – Hawaii

Fraud reports per 1000: 4.28
Total fraud reports: 6,116

This island state took the last train to our top 10. But they made it, and they should be admired when it comes to fraud safety.

If you want to see the entire list of US states by fraud, take a look at our list below:

Full List of US States by Fraud of January 2025

(Washington D.C. was not included in this list)

Rank: State: Total Number of Fraud Reports: Fraud Score:
1 North Dakota 2,090 2.77
2 South Dakota 2,689 3.09
3 Iowa 10,370 3.30
4 Vermont 2,417 3.88
5 Nebraska 7,590 3.95
6 Alaska 3,005 4.06
7 Utah 12,817 4.13
8 Wyoming 2,396 4.14
9 Maine 5,647 4.23
10 Hawaii 6,116 4.28
11 Minnesota 24,200 4.34
12 Wisconsin 26,196 4.52
13 Montana 4,968 4.73
14 Idaho 8,187 4.77
15 Oklahoma 18,770 4.78
16 Massachusetts 33,006 4.81
17 Arkansas 14,438 4.81
18 West Virginia 8,953 4.93
19 Kansas 14,586 5.01
20 Kentucky 22,371 5.02
21 New Hampshire 6,832 5.09
22 New York 101,265 5.10
23 Oregon 21,225 5.12
24 Mississippi 15,339 5.14
25 Illinois 66,353 5.18
26 Indiana 34,765 5.21
27 Washington 38,549 5.21
28 Connecticut 19,402 5.41
29 New Jersey 50,085 5.56
30 Pennsylvania 71,771 5.60
31 Rhode Island 5,947 5.61
32 Colorado 31,833 5.68
33 California 225,296 5.70
34 Louisiana 27,266 5.82
35 North Carolina 60,261 5.87
36 New Mexico 12,326 5.90
37 Ohio 69,764 5.98
38 Virginia 51,932 6.13
39 Missouri 39,148 6.40
40 Arizona 45,158 6.44
41 Tennessee 43,579 6.49
42 South Carolina 33,137 6.60
43 Alabama 33,467 6.87
44 Maryland 42,032 6.94
45 Texas 206,305 7.29
46 Michigan 74,689 7.50
47 Delaware 7,290 7.58
48 Nevada 23,071 7.70
49 Georgia 96,316 9.24
50 Florida 208,443 9.93

ElitePersonalFinance Analyzed The States by Population and Created 3 Additional Tables:

  • States with less than 1 million residents.
  • 1 – 10 million residents.
  • Over 10 million residents.

States with Less Than 1 Million Residents

Rank (Total Rank): State: Total Number of Fraud Reports: Fraud Score:
1 (1) North Dakota 2,090 2.77
2 (2) South Dakota 2,689 3.09
3 (4) Vermont 2,417 3.88
4 (6) Alaska 3,005 4.06
5 (8) Wyoming 2,396 4.14
6 (47) Delaware 7,290 7.58

States with 1-10 Million Residents

Rank (Total Rank): State: Total Number of Fraud Reports: Fraud Score:
1 (3) Iowa 10,370 3.30
2 (5) Nebraska 7,590 3.95
3 (7) Utah 12,817 4.13
4 (9) Maine 5,647 4.23
5 (10) Hawaii 6,116 4.28
6 (11) Minnesota 24,200 4.34
7 (12) Wisconsin 26,196 4.52
8 (13) Montana 4,968 4.73
9 (14) Idaho 8,187 4.77
10 (15) Oklahoma 18,770 4.78
11 (16) Massachusetts 33,006 4.81
12 (17) Arkansas 14,438 4.81
13 (18) West Virginia 8,953 4.93
14 (19) Kansas 14,586 5.01
15 (20) Kentucky 22,371 5.02
16 (21) New Hampshire 6,832 5.09
17 (23) Oregon 21,225 5.12
18 (24) Mississippi 15,339 5.14
19 (26) Indiana 34,765 5.21
20 (27) Washington 38,549 5.21
21 (28) Connecticut 19,402 5.41
22 (29) New Jersey 50,085 5.56
23 (31) Rhode Island 5,947 5.61
24 (32) Colorado 31,833 5.68
25 (34) Louisiana 27,266 5.82
26 (36) New Mexico 12,326 5.90
27 (38) Virginia 51,932 6.13
28 (39) Missouri 39,148 6.40
29 (40) Arizona 45,158 6.44
30 (41) Tennessee 43,579 6.49
31 (42) South Carolina 33,137 6.60
32 (43) Alabama 33,467 6.87
33 (44) Maryland 42,032 6.94
34 (46) Michigan 74,689 7.50
35 (48) Nevada 23,071 7.70

States with Over 10 Million Residents

Rank (Total Rank): State: Total Number of Fraud Reports: Fraud Score:
1 (22) New York 101,265 5.10
2 (25) Illinois 66,353 5.18
3 (30) Pennsylvania 71,771 5.60
4 (33) California 225,296 5.70
5 (35) North Carolina 60,261 5.87
6 (37) Ohio 69,764 5.98
7 (45) Texas 206,305 7.29
8 (49) Georgia 96,316 9.24
9 (50) Florida 208,443 9.93

How Safe is Your State?

If you are concerned about fraud in your state, you can share it in the comments below. Likewise, please feel free to comment on that if you are satisfied with your state’s safety level.

Sources

FTC.gov – Consumer Sentinel Network

Census – Annual Estimates of the Resident Population

Do you want to prevent identity theft? We can help.

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Our Identity Theft Blog

Identity Theft SafeGuard – The complete identity theft guide!

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