Alabama Labeled “High Risk” For Identity Theft In New Study
As a victim of Identity Theft (twice) while living in Alabama, I can tell you just how scary it is when it happens to you.
I will never forget getting the alert on my phone at 3:41 AM that a transaction had just gone through from my bank account.
The amount was nearly $300.
After that, as I struggled to wipe the sleep out of my eyes, my alerts kept coming over and over for ANOTHER $300 transaction.
I watched these thieves empty my bank account in the middle of the night until my balance was $182.00.
My heart felt like it was about to explode!
It was one of the worst feelings I've ever experienced.
ALL THE MONEY I HAD WORKED FOR WAS GONE IN A MATTER OF MINUTES
Gone. That was just the beginning of the nightmare filled with police interaction and calls to my bank and my lawyer.
After going through a gut-wrenching ordeal, I finally got all of my money back.
IDENTITY THEFT MAKES YOU FEEL VIOLATED IN SO MANY WAYS
Now, a new study claims that ALABAMA is one of the HIGH RISK states for Identity Theft in the USA.
This new study on nationwide Identity Theft was done by the folks at cloudwards.com.
According to cloudwards.com, 2023 saw a big rise in Identity Theft nationwide at a cost of $12.5 BILLION.
Credit card fraud was the most used form of Identity Theft in 2023.
Cloudwars.com reveals a couple of interesting tidbits about this new study on Identity Theft. For example, Tennessee has the LOWEST ID theft risk in the country. Why? Maybe it's because Tennessee puts the crime in the same category as aggravated statutory rape with jail terms of up to 12 years, according to cloudwars.com.
In fact, there seems to be a direct correlation between these states that had lower ID theft numbers and the fact that the punishment is much more severe in those states.
Overall, the TOP 5 states for Identity Theft:
5. Pennsylvania
4. Nevada
3. Connecticut
2. Massachusetts
1. District of Columbia
Alabama was ranked in the middle of the pack yet high enough to be rated a "High Risk" state with 245 reports of ID theft per 100,000 people.
The group doing the study at cloudwars.com reports that Alabama has a score of 40.3 regarding overall Identity Theft incidents.
The TOP 5 states with the lowest rate of Identity Theft:
5. Kentucky
4. Utah
3. New Mexico
2. Montana
1. Tennessee
What is the NUMBER ONE tip for protecting yourself from ID theft? According to cloudwars.com, don't ever carry your social security card in your wallet. This eliminates the chances of it falling into the wrong hands.
LOOK: Highest-Rated Free Things To Do in Alabama, According to Tripadvisor
Gallery Credit: Stacker
GAME ON: These Are the Best High Schools for Sports in Alabama
Gallery Credit: Stacker
WHEW!: Counties With the Warmest Summers in Alabama
Gallery Credit: Stacker