Washington is the most vulnerable state for identity theft, how to protect yourself
Washington state had the most identity theft and fraud in 2021 according to a recent study from WalletHub.
WalletHub, a personal finance website known for its studies and rankings of just about any subject, conducted the study to compare the needs for protection against identity theft.
The study says that identity theft cases in the U.S. are growing, as case numbers in 2021 increased from 2020, and threaten American citizens as well as large corporations, such as Facebook and Volkswagen.
Cases in 2021 involved identity fraud through unemployment benefits and federal stimulus programs. In its study, WalletHub, rated all 50 states and the District of Columbia on their number of identity theft cases and fraud cases to find which states were the least and most vulnerable.
Washington was found to be the most vulnerable state in the nation, followed closely by Colorado, Kansas, Rhode Island, Delaware and Illinois.
Washington also was rated one of the states with the highest average amount lost to identity fraud.
How you can avoid identity theft
The WalletHub study also offered quick tips to avoid identity theft, as well as an Identity Theft Guide for more information. The tips included:
▪ Email security: Having a secure email is extremely important, as emails are used to recover forgotten passwords for websites, accounts and even bank accounts. If someone is able to get into your email, they are able to access most of your personal information and payment options. Having a strong email password is extremely important, as are features, such as two-step authentication.
▪ Set up alerts for online activity: Most online stores, bank websites and other websites you have accounts on have some type of security alert available, offering to text, email or call you when there has been a change or activity on your account. Make sure that this contact information is updated regularly and that notifications are turned on so that if you get an alert of a changed password you did not make, allowing you to act fast.
▪ Look into credit monitoring: Credit monitoring alerts you about changes to your accounts, files and possible identity theft threats and keeps your credit report under control. Services such as LifeLock, AURA, Identity Defense and more offer these services to give you peace of mind.
▪ Use common sense online and with important information: Be careful while opening emails, sending important information through email or other online messaging systems or downloading files off the internet. These simple actions could give hackers and identity thieves access to your information and accounts.
USAgov, a government website and resource for citizens to better understand government services, also provides a few tips to avoid identity theft:
▪ Make some simple changes, such as not keeping your Social Security card in your wallet, getting your mail from your mailbox every day, shredding receipts, bank statements, old credit cards and other documents with personal information, and reviewing bank statements frequently to catch any transactions that you did not authorize.
▪ Reporting identity theft online to the Federal Trade Commission or by calling 1-877-438-4338.
