South Florida has the highest incidence of identity theft compared to any other major metropolitan area in the United States.
In 2022, South Florida had a rate of almost three times the number of complaints per 10,000 people for identity theft compared to 2015, with 31.6 complaints per 10,000 people or a total of 18,428 complaints, making it the top region in the United States for identity theft in both years.
Growing Threat of Cybercrime
As people continue to share personal and financial information online, cybercriminals have become increasingly adept at hacking into systems and stealing data. They use this information to create accounts and incur significant charges, often leaving victims unaware until it’s too late.
According to the Federal Trade Commission’s annual Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book, identity theft reports have risen from about 86,000 to over 650,000 between 2001 and 2019, and then doubled to 1.39 million in 2020, and increased again to 1.43 million in 2021. However, in 2022, the number of reports decreased to 1.11 million.
Among all metro regions with 100,000 or more residents, South Florida had the third-highest rate of identity theft, behind Tuscaloosa, Alabama (106.1) and Baton Rouge, Louisiana (95.7). Florida ranked third among the 50 U.S. states for identity theft, behind only Georgia and Louisiana.
These findings were based on data compiled for the Federal Trade Commission’s annual Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book.
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Stay Vigilant Against Phishing
Here are eight steps to protect yourself against identity theft:
- Place a freeze on your credit
- Safeguard your Social Security number
- Stay vigilant against phishing and spoofing attempts
- Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication
- Sign up for credit monitoring alerts
- Monitor your mailbox for suspicious activity
- Utilize a digital wallet for secure transactions
- Protect your mobile devices with strong passwords and security measures.
By following these steps, you can better safeguard your personal and financial information against identity theft.