Many Texans pride themselves on having a keen eye for scams, but when it comes to protecting their private personal information, the Lone Star State is struggling.
A new study has ranked Texas sixth in the nation for identity theft, with an alarming 372 reports per 100,000 residents in 2024.
The report, organized by the GBG law firm using FBI crime statistics, actually found that Southern states dominate the identity theft rankings. Georgia led the nation with a staggering 500 reports of identity theft per 100,000 residents, followed closely by Florida and Nevada.
Texas, meanwhile, logged in more than 116,000 total identity theft cases last year alone, one of the highest counts in the country.
California edged out Texas for the top spot in total cases with nearly 140,000, but its per capita rate was slightly lower at 354 per 100,000 residents.
In contrast, states like South Dakota, Vermont, and Alaska reported far fewer incidents. South Dakota, for example, had just 91 reports per 100,000 residents, making its residents more than five times less likely to experience identity theft than those living in Georgia.
Experts within the study say the boom in online shopping and the shift to digital currencies, as well as digital transaction apps like CashApp or Venmo, have collectively created a perfect storm of opportunity for fraudsters.
Beyond checking bank statements, Texans are also urged by researchers to stay alert, specifically when booking vacations or making any other large or exorbitant online purchases, as scammers often prey on buyers using unfamiliar websites with high traffic of big transactions.
Among the top 10 states with the highest rates of identity theft were also Massachusetts and Delaware, the only two traditionally Democratic-leaning states to make the list.
Meanwhile, not too surprisingly, states with the lowest rates tended to be smaller and more rural.
According to the study, the top 10 states for identity theft rates were:
1. Georgia
2. Florida
3. Nevada
4. Massachusetts
5. Delaware
6. Texas
7. California
8. Louisiana
9. Illinois
10. Maryland