Debt collection scams and fraudulent robocalls are on the rise in the US, with millions of Americans targeted annually by scam artists. In fact, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) data shows there were nearly 2.7 million reports of scams in 2017 alone. In honor of National Safety Month, the team at Your Local Security dug into data published by the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network to find each state’s most common scam so you can help protect yourself against an unforeseen attack.

Data Highlights

Residents in the majority of states suffer most from debt collection scams, and residents who live in states with the lowest amount of fraud are typically victims of imposter scams. Identity theft earns a bronze medal, despite a downtrend in 2016. Interestingly, almost no West Coast states made the list for the top 10 states with the highest amount of fraud.

The Top 3 Scams in the US

After reviewing the FTC’s data, take a peek at the three most common scams in America. To find your state’s top scam, check out the table below.

Debt Collection

Debt collection scams involve scammers who call repeatedly, falsely represent the amount or status of your debt, fail to send written notice of debt, falsely threaten a suit, use profane language, fail to identify themselves as debt collectors, and/or violate other provisions of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Imposter Scams

Scammers pose as a trusted person and contact you via email or phone to persuade you to send money or provide personal information. The scammer might claim to work for or be affiliated with a government agency—such as in the case of an IRS scam—be a friend or relative with an emergency need for money, technical support specialist, or even an online romantic interest.

Identity Theft

A scammer steals your personal identifying information (such as your Social Security number or credit card account number) to commit fraud or theft. While still a threat in the US, identity theft decreased by 16.05% in 2016.

Find your state’s most common scam and the most susceptible regions:

State Rank	State Name	Top Scam	Metropolitan Statistical Areas with Most Fraud	Incidents of Fraud
1	Florida	Debt Collection	Homosassa Springs, FL	1156
2	Georgia	Debt Collection	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	927
3	Nevada	Debt Collection	Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV	657
4	Delaware	Debt Collection	Dover, DE	609
5	Michigan	Debt Collection	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	746
6	Texas	Debt Collection	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	773
7	Maryland	Debt Collection	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	561
8	Alabama	Debt Collection	Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL	603
9	South Carolina	Debt Collection	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	674
10	Tennessee	Debt Collection	Memphis, TN-MS-AR	660
11	Arizona	Debt Collection	Prescott, AZ	770
12	Missouri	Debt Collection	Kansas City, MO-KS	539
13	Ohio	Debt Collection	Cleveland-Elyria, OH	581
14	New Mexico	Debt Collection	Santa Fe, NM	745
15	North Carolina	Debt Collection	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	674
16	Louisiana	Debt Collection	Shreveport-Bossier City, LA	551
17	California	Debt Collection	Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA	623
18	Colorado	Identity theft	Colorado Springs, CO	552
19	Virginia	Debt Collection	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	487
20	Rhode Island	Debt Collection	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	429
21	Pennsylvania	Debt Collection	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	561
22	New Jersey	Debt Collection	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	561
23	Connecticut	Identity theft	New Haven-Milford, CT	523
24	Indiana	Debt Collection	Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN	560
25	Washington	Imposter Scams	Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA	646
26	Illinois	Identity theft	St. Louis, MO-IL	497
27	Mississippi	Debt Collection	Memphis, TN-MS-AR	660
28	Oregon	Imposter Scams	Eugene, OR	488
29	New York	Identity Theft	Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY	509
30	New Hampshire	Imposter Scams	Manchester-Nashua, NH	483
31	Kentucky	Debt Collection	Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN	560
32	Kansas	Imposter Scams	Topeka, KS	554
33	West Virginia	Imposter Scams	Charleston, WV	576
34	Massachusetts	Debt Collection	Barnstable Town, MA	448
35	Arkansas	Debt Collection	Memphis, TN-MS-AR	660
36	Oklahoma	Debt Collection	Lawton, OK	472
37	Idaho	Imposter Scams	Coeur d’Alene, ID	515
38	Montana	Imposter Scams	Missoula, MT	585
39	Wisconsin	Imposter Scams	Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI	514
40	Minnesota	Imposter Scams	TIE between Duluth, MN-WI and Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	419
41	Hawaii	Imposter Scams	Hilo, HI	434
42	Maine	Auto Related	Bangor, ME	510
43	Wyoming	Imposter Scams	Cheyenne, WY	508
44	Utah	Imposter Scams	Salt Lake City, UT	419
45	Alaska	Imposter Scams	Anchorage, AK	433
46	Nebraska	Imposter Scams	Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA	445
47	Vermont	Imposter Scams	Claremont-Lebanon, NH-VT	401
48	Iowa	Imposter Scams	Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA	445
49	South Dakota	Imposter Scams	Sioux City, IA-NE-SD	427
50	North Dakota	Identity Theft	Fargo, ND-MN	285

Staying Safe: Report the Attack

You can save yourself thousands and help others do the same by being aware of the most common scams and how to recognize scam artists before any damage is done. The best way to bring these scammers to justice and help prevent future attacks is to report the details of the scam and the phone number, website, or email address to your local police department and inform the FTC. For more tips on staying safe from scams, check out 5 Ways to Avoid Dangerous Security Scams.

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