Top 10 states for identity theft

November 17, 2011 - By: Eugene Breacan

I recently received a phone call from my bank informing me of suspicious charges to my bank account. My debit card had been compromised and multiple charges were now pending against my checking account. I am a victim of identity theft!

I must admit, when I hear of identity theft, I think of someone who has stolen a license and is posing as another person or old movies come to mind where a vagrant is in a bank trying to cash a check found in a parking lot. I finally realized that I was a victim of identity theft after doing research for this post. I just assumed my debit card number was floating around in cyber space someplace and I was unlucky enough to have a person with ill intentions find it.

As it turns out, I live in the #1 highest rated state for identity theft according to the Federal Trade Commission which released their ID theft complaints by state in March of 2011. Here is the top ranked list of states for identity theft, the number of complaints per 100,000 population and the total number of complaints issued for the state.

Have you been an victim of identity theft? What steps do you take to protect yourself now that you didn't before? Share your experience in the comments below.

Image credit: clearlytoomuch

Tagged with: credit · identity theft · theft