ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — According to a new QuoteWizard report, which details how much identity theft has increased from state to state, New York has seen a 67% increase in identity theft since 2019. What may be more surprising is New York barely makes the top half of states with the largest increase in that period, sitting at 23rd.
According to QuoteWizard, the spike in identity theft reports began during the COVID-19 pandemic, and every state has seen an increase in identity theft over the past three years. QuoteWizard’s top 10 states with the highest increase in identity theft are as follows:
- West Virginia, 150% increase
- Kansas, 149% increase
- Louisiana, 135% increase
- Pennsylvania, 125% increase
- Ohio, 124% increase
- Mississippi, 118% increase
- Virginia, 116% increase
- Delaware, 114% increase
- Rhode Island, 111% increase
- Alabama, 110% increase
Their report broke identity theft into seven categories, which include credit card fraud, loan or lease fraud, phone or utility fraud, bank fraud, employment or tax-related fraud, Gov’t doc or benefits fraud, and other identity theft. The only category that saw a decrease in percentage change from 2019 to 2022 was phone and utility fraud at -8%.
QuoteWizard offered several tips on what to do if you are a victim of identity theft. Their top five tips are as follows:
- Contact the company or organization where the fraud has occurred
- Contact your identity theft insurance provider
- Contact one of the three major credit bureaus
- File an identity theft report with the FTC
- File a police report
