Maybe it was the idea of getting rich in a brand-new investment scheme that got you; maybe it was hearing that your grandson was stuck in jail and needed $2,000 wired to him. (Spoiler alert: It wasn’t really your grandson.) Whatever scam fooled you into opening up your wallet, you’re not alone: The Federal Trade Commission in 2021 received more than 5.7 million reports, including nearly 2.8 million reports of fraud and 1.4 reports of identity theft.
The uptick in scams is partly attributed to an increase in online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Online shopping and negative reviews” was the second-highest type of scam reported after imposter scams.
In addition to being embarrassing for their victims, scams can also be incredibly costly. In 2021, American consumers lost more than $5.8 billion to fraud. Young people between the ages of 20 and 29 reported losing money to fraud more often than older consumers, although the latter suffered more median losses per scam.
Stacker looked at which states were impacted most by scams in 2021 and the amount of money reported as lost using data from the Federal Trade Commission. This list includes all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C. Locations were ranked by the number of reports filed per 100,000 residents.
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#52. Puerto Rico
– Reports per 100K people: 260
– Total reports: 8,315
– Total loss: $6,689,197
– Median loss: $508

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#51. South Dakota
– Reports per 100K people: 549
– Total reports: 4,854
– Total loss: $6,828,535
– Median loss: $489

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#50. North Dakota
– Reports per 100K people: 608
– Total reports: 4,637
– Total loss: $8,897,094
– Median loss: $440

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#49. Iowa
– Reports per 100K people: 636
– Total reports: 20,071
– Total loss: $21,219,834
– Median loss: $379

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#48. Nebraska
– Reports per 100K people: 697
– Total reports: 13,475
– Total loss: $14,314,521
– Median loss: $450

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#47. Wyoming
– Reports per 100K people: 731
– Total reports: 4,230
– Total loss: $7,751,648
– Median loss: $500

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#46. Oklahoma
– Reports per 100K people: 783
– Total reports: 30,996
– Total loss: $26,906,284
– Median loss: $410

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#45. Kentucky
– Reports per 100K people: 796
– Total reports: 35,544
– Total loss: $30,598,771
– Median loss: $350

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#44. West Virginia
– Reports per 100K people: 797
– Total reports: 14,287
– Total loss: $10,206,786
– Median loss: $350

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#43. Arkansas
– Reports per 100K people: 801
– Total reports: 24,176
– Total loss: $16,692,589
– Median loss: $450

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#42. Wisconsin
– Reports per 100K people: 803
– Total reports: 46,755
– Total loss: $48,716,758
– Median loss: $390

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#41. Montana
– Reports per 100K people: 806
– Total reports: 8,612
– Total loss: $9,582,342
– Median loss: $436

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#40. Minnesota
– Reports per 100K people: 809
– Total reports: 45,599
– Total loss: $60,317,592
– Median loss: $482

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#39. Idaho
– Reports per 100K people: 809
– Total reports: 14,464
– Total loss: $16,949,046
– Median loss: $396

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#38. Maine
– Reports per 100K people: 821
– Total reports: 11,035
– Total loss: $9,708,190
– Median loss: $400

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#37. Utah
– Reports per 100K people: 823
– Total reports: 26,373
– Total loss: $37,346,855
– Median loss: $500

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#36. Kansas
– Reports per 100K people: 845
– Total reports: 24,615
– Total loss: $19,916,988
– Median loss: $429

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#35. Vermont
– Reports per 100K people: 848
– Total reports: 5,292
– Total loss: $10,038,458
– Median loss: $337

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#34. Hawaii
– Reports per 100K people: 851
– Total reports: 12,051
– Total loss: $22,502,406
– Median loss: $620

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#33. Indiana
– Reports per 100K people: 861
– Total reports: 57,988
– Total loss: $46,881,596
– Median loss: $400

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#32. Michigan
– Reports per 100K people: 881
– Total reports: 87,996
– Total loss: $83,309,393
– Median loss: $400

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#31. New Mexico
– Reports per 100K people: 888
– Total reports: 18,613
– Total loss: $23,200,453
– Median loss: $500

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#30. Mississippi
– Reports per 100K people: 906
– Total reports: 26,958
– Total loss: $23,422,036
– Median loss: $400

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#29. New Hampshire
– Reports per 100K people: 914
– Total reports: 12,429
– Total loss: $13,660,810
– Median loss: $450

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#28. Connecticut
– Reports per 100K people: 917
– Total reports: 32,686
– Total loss: $40,886,958
– Median loss: $460

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#27. Missouri
– Reports per 100K people: 953
– Total reports: 58,485
– Total loss: $52,266,861
– Median loss: $361

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#26. Oregon
– Reports per 100K people: 970
– Total reports: 40,908
– Total loss: $65,371,881
– Median loss: $500

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#25. Ohio
– Reports per 100K people: 976
– Total reports: 114,140
– Total loss: $86,270,313
– Median loss: $375

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#24. Massachusetts
– Reports per 100K people: 980
– Total reports: 67,515
– Total loss: $91,319,599
– Median loss: $500

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#23. California
– Reports per 100K people: 991
– Total reports: 391,517
– Total loss: $820,858,149
– Median loss: $600

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#22. Washington
– Reports per 100K people: 1,013
– Total reports: 77,128
– Total loss: $135,661,564
– Median loss: $500

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#21. North Carolina
– Reports per 100K people: 1,036
– Total reports: 108,698
– Total loss: $93,015,171
– Median loss: $446

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#20. Arizona
– Reports per 100K people: 1,065
– Total reports: 77,534
– Total loss: $116,030,737
– Median loss: $515

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#19. Rhode Island
– Reports per 100K people: 1,066
– Total reports: 11,289
– Total loss: $11,564,650
– Median loss: $447

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#18. Illinois
– Reports per 100K people: 1,078
– Total reports: 136,640
– Total loss: $128,953,942
– Median loss: $450

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#17. Texas
– Reports per 100K people: 1,080
– Total reports: 313,044
– Total loss: $369,437,769
– Median loss: $500

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#16. New York
– Reports per 100K people: 1,083
– Total reports: 210,749
– Total loss: $280,882,468
– Median loss: $500

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#15. Virginia
– Reports per 100K people: 1,099
– Total reports: 93,763
– Total loss: $112,898,996
– Median loss: $500

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#14. New Jersey
– Reports per 100K people: 1,107
– Total reports: 98,316
– Total loss: $122,175,462
– Median loss: $508

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#13. Colorado
– Reports per 100K people: 1,119
– Total reports: 64,464
– Total loss: $87,975,013
– Median loss: $479

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#12. South Carolina
– Reports per 100K people: 1,149
– Total reports: 59,177
– Total loss: $46,428,921
– Median loss: $400

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#11. Alaska
– Reports per 100K people: 1,156
– Total reports: 8,458
– Total loss: $13,078,284
– Median loss: $600

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#10. Tennessee
– Reports per 100K people: 1,157
– Total reports: 79,012
– Total loss: $62,602,651
– Median loss: $400

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#9. Louisiana
– Reports per 100K people: 1,193
– Total reports: 55,456
– Total loss: $30,022,528
– Median loss: $422

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#8. Pennsylvania
– Reports per 100K people: 1,205
– Total reports: 154,313
– Total loss: $120,888,991
– Median loss: $400

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#7. Alabama
– Reports per 100K people: 1,217
– Total reports: 59,669
– Total loss: $44,712,880
– Median loss: $423

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#6. Florida
– Reports per 100K people: 1,370
– Total reports: 294,328
– Total loss: $331,282,322
– Median loss: $532

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#5. Nevada
– Reports per 100K people: 1,407
– Total reports: 43,339
– Total loss: $69,551,003
– Median loss: $616

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#4. Delaware
– Reports per 100K people: 1,410
– Total reports: 13,726
– Total loss: $14,135,903
– Median loss: $500

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#3. Maryland
– Reports per 100K people: 1,415
– Total reports: 85,568
– Total loss: $93,976,802
– Median loss: $518

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#2. Georgia
– Reports per 100K people: 1,421
– Total reports: 150,898
– Total loss: $112,980,173
– Median loss: $500

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#1. Washington DC
– Reports per 100K people: 1,701
– Total reports: 12,004
– Total loss: $10,207,425
– Median loss: $500