Florida is a leader when it comes to fraud complaints, especially for credit cards

Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·5 min read

As the use of credit cards becomes more common in the day-to-day lives of many Americans, identity theft and credit card scams have been on the rise, seeing more victims every day.

According to a survey conducted with the Prolific online research platform, more than nine in 10 Americans believe instances of fraud in the U.S. have increased in recent years while two-thirds have seen increases in fraud attempts in their own lives.

In a recent study from USA Today, experts found that Florida and its major cities topped the lists for the highest amount of fraud per 100,000 residents.

USA Today experts analyzed data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the United States Census Bureau and surveyed 1,000 consumers to get an overview of fraud in the country. See how Florida and its cities rank against others.

But first, fraud vs. credit card scams: What’s the difference?

In the study, analysts defined fraud as "using dishonesty to acquire sensitive information from someone, typically with the goal of causing a loss for the individual being defrauded." According to the Federal Trade Commission, some of the most common types of fraud include imposter scams, online shopping and negative reviews, fraud resulting from prizes, sweepstakes & lotteries and fraud related to business & job opportunities.

As for credit card scams, they are a type of fraud targeting credit card users with the explicit purpose of financial gain on the part of the scammer. While fraud is a much more general term that typically covers any sort of dishonest activity, a scam is a more specific, targeted act that seeks to exploit an individual.

According to FTC data, the most common type of fraud complaint received between January and September 2023 was related to credit bureaus, info furnishers and report users. There were 862,506 complaints in total during this period.

To read the full report from USA Today's BLUEPRINT, click here.

What Florida cities rank high for fraud?

Many different types of fraud have become common such as credit card fraud, mail fraud, healthcare fraud, internet fraud and driver’s license fraud. The study found that it is most rampant in the southeast section of the country, with two Florida cities placing within the top five.

Miami saw second place with 1,686 complaints per 100,000 residents and Sebastian landed in the fifth slot with 1,573.30 complaints per 100,000 residents.

Atlanta saw the most complaints between January and September 2023 — with 1,890.40 complaints per 100,000 residents. It narrowly beats these cities:

  • Tuscaloosa, Alabama - 1,844

  • Miami, Florida - 1,686

  • Sumter, South Carolina - 1,660.9

  • Sebastian, Florida - 1,573.3

By contrast, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Ohio and Boston, Massachusetts, have the fewest complaints out of all big cities.

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How does Florida rank against other states for fraud?

Florida placed within the top five states with the highest rates of fraud. Seeing the third slot, the state sees 1,363 per 100,000 residents.

Looking at the U.S. as a whole, the national average is 940 complaints per 100,000 residents across the country. Georgia had the highest number of fraud complaints at 1,468.80 per 100,000 residents, followed by:

  • Nevada - 1,380.30

  • Florida - 1,363.00

  • Delaware - 1,292.70

  • Maryland - 1,216.50

In comparison, South Dakota saw the fewest complaints per 100,000 residents at 468.5.

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What cities experience the most credit card fraud and identity theft?

In a separate section of the study, it also pointed out credit card fraud and identity theft, 126 cities have seen a 100% or more increase in both over the past four years.

This time, Florida took the top spot with Miami. The south Florida city saw 372.7 complaints per 100,000 residents between January and September 2023. The other states making up the top five cities for credit card fraud and identity theft complaints include:

  • Tuscaloosa, Alabama - 296.6

  • Atlanta, Georgia - 250.5

  • Los Angeles, California - 235.1

  • Las Vegas, Nevada - 209.3

It was noted Florida is the most represented state in this section, with eight different cities in the top 50. Florida’s prevalence on the list could be related to its elderly population. According to Statista, Florida is second to only California when looking at the population of adults aged 65 or over, and fraudsters often target vulnerable and elderly people with limited knowledge of technology.

How can I protect myself against credit card scams and fraud?

According to the ID Theft Resource Center, these are the top tips for residents to protect themselves from data breaches or ID theft:

  • Freeze your credit with all credit bureaus, as a protective measure if you find yourself caught up in a data breach. Find out how to freeze your credit and other tips at idtheftcenter.org

  • Change your password and switch to a 12-plus character passphrase.

  • Enable two-factor authentication (with an app, if possible) on your accounts.

  • If you are offered a passkey option from a website or your phone, which is beyond a password and can be fingerprint or facial ID options, take them.

  • Keep an eye out for phishing attempts that claim to be from the breached organization.

  • Follow the advice on the data breach notice offered by the impacted company.

  • Change the passwords of other accounts with the same password as the breached account.

Contributing reporting: Mehdi Punjwani and Sierra Campbell, BLUEPRINT

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida cities among worst for credit card fraud and identity theft