These states are the most vulnerable for identity theft and fraud in 2025, data suggests

Massive Social Security data breach

Every American's Social Security number, address may have been stolen in hack. A hacking group called USDoD claims to have stolen 2.7 billion records of personal information from Americans, including their Social Security numbers and physical addresses. The hackers offered to sell the stolen records, which included personal data for everyone in the US, UK, and Canada, to a forum of hackers. The data was stolen from National Public Data, a platform that offers personal information to employers, private investigators, staffing agencies and others doing background checks.

In recent years, significant data breaches have compromised many Americans’ personal information, and each new year brings new strategies by identity thieves and fraudsters.

In order to determine who is most likely to be exposed to and affected by identity theft and fraud, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 15 key metrics. 

Their data set ranged from identity theft complaints per capita to the average loss due to fraud.

Florida State most vulnerable

Florida, despite being a vibrant and populous state, was the most vulnerable to identity theft and fraud, the data found.

One of the big reasons for this was a lack of suitable laws protecting against these crimes. For example, Florida doesn’t have an identity theft passport program, which is a way to help prove a person’s identity if it gets stolen, and the state doesn’t have laws against spyware on computers either.

By the numbers:

Florida had 528 identity theft complaints and 2,163 fraud complaints for every 100,000 residents last year – the highest and second-highest rates in the nation, respectively. It also had the fifth-highest median loss due to fraud, at over $500.

Florida was followed by California and Georgia.

The data found that Florida was the most vulnerable to identity theft and fraud. (Credit: Getty Images)

What They’re Saying: "In an age where we have sensitive data online in a multitude of places, we risk falling victim to identity theft and fraud whenever there’s a data breach," Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, said. "Living in a state with robust legal protections against identity theft and fraud, such as identity theft passports and cybersecurity task forces, can decrease your risk of falling victim to these crimes, though staying vigilant and protecting yourself online is still the most important."

States most vulnerable to identity theft, fraud

1. Florida
2. California
3. Georgia
4. New Jersey
5. District of Columbia

See the full report here.

Tips for Avoiding Identity Theft & Fraud

What you can do:

WalletHub recommends emphasize email security by using strong passwords for all financial accounts. They suggest using an exceptionally secure email password and establishing two-step verification for this account.

WalletHub said credit monitoring is also a great way to keep tabs on your credit report. 

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.

In addition, don’t open emails you don’t recognize or download files from untrustworthy sources, they noted 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.

Americans report losing 25% more money due to fraud last year

Big picture view:

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 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.

RELATED: AT&T data breach settlement: Here's how you can file a claim by Dec. 18 deadline

Now, some consumers may be entitled to some cash stemming from AT&T’s data breach settlement. 

What they're saying:

"We have agreed to this settlement to avoid the expense and uncertainty of protracted litigation," AT&T said in a Thursday statement, adding that the company remains "committed to protecting our customers’ data and ensuring their continued trust in us."