These states are the most vulnerable to identity theft and fraud

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If the Equifax data breach has taught Americans anything, it’s that even the institutions trusted with protecting consumers’ most personal data are not doing enough to safeguard it.

Equifax, one of the three major credit-reporting agencies in the country, revealed in September that the company was the victim of a massive hack. The personal info of as many as 145.5 million Americans may have been compromised, the company said. However, that’s still just an estimate — even more Americans could have been impacted and not know it for years.

Is consumer protection finally getting the attention it deserves?

While no heads have rolled, lawmakers have significantly turned up the scrutiny on the credit bureaus and how they handle consumers’ confidential information.

In 2018, around 60 million Americans reported being affected by identity theft, according to statistics from LifeLock.

The data breach has raised some important questions about cybersecurity and how best to safeguard our information. Namely, are consumers doing enough to protect themselves? Also, are some Americans more susceptible to cybercrime based on where they live?

A new analysis by finance website WalletHub has identified the states most vulnerable to identity theft and fraud. The research is based on several key metrics compiled by Wallethub, including an overall score (far left) and a total score, followed by ranks that take into account instances of identity theft and fraud per capita. The number to the far right ranks states’ policies related to identity theft and fraud.

States most vulnerable to identity theft & fraud

Overall Rank* State Total Score ”˜Identity Theft’ Rank ”˜Fraud’ Rank ”˜Policy’ Rank
1 California 69.43 1 19 10
2 Rhode Island 68.29 3 18 1
3 District of Columbia 67.66 9 6 10
4 Florida 67.55 12 2 30
5 Georgia 66.48 7 10 30
6 Michigan 64.41 8 12 10
7 Nevada 64.26 14 5 30
8 Texas 64.20 13 7 30
9 New York 63.97 5 20 10
10 Connecticut 62.25 2 39 30

The issue of cybersecurity is a hot-button topic in Washington. Just this week, lawmakers from the Senate Banking Committee tore into a trade association representative of the consumer data industry.

“Your clients basically take my data — personal information about me — without my permission and as a business model they sell it to businesses. I am not compensated,” Republican Sen. John Kennedy  of Louisiana said to Andrew Smith, of the Consumer Data Industry Association, political website TheHill.com reports.

RELATED: 21% have never checked their credit, report says

“If they lose my data as Equifax did, or if someone submits to them data that is an error that undermines my credit score, the bureaus have no obligation or interest right now to work with me to try to get the credit score correct,” Kennedy was quoted as saying.

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The WalletHub data shows that states have become more susceptible than ever to identity theft and credit score manipulation.

The survey reveals some interesting numbers related to identity fraud as well. Washington, D.C. and Florida were tied for first in the most fraud complaints per capita, followed by Georgia. Michigan and Texas rounded out the top five.

North Dakota and South Dakota finished first and second in states with the least fraud complaints per capita, followed by Iowa, Alaska and Hawaii.

How to protect your personal information

Money expert Clark Howard says that the No. 1 way to protect yourself from identity fraud is by freezing your credit. But one of the main questions consumers want to know is what are the steps involved in freezing their credit.

RELATED: How to protect yourself from the next credit breach

The first thing you need to do is contact Equifax, TransUnion and Experian, the three main credit agencies. They can be reached online or by mail. There is a modest fee associated with freezing your credit, ranging from $3 to $10 per person per bureau (in some states, it may be a bit more), but it’s a relatively small price to pay when you think about what it would cost you if your identity were stolen.

The Clark Howard Credit Freeze Guide

If you have specific questions about the Equifax breach and how it may impact you, contact Clark’s Consumer Action Center — a FREE help line open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. ‘ 7 p.m. EST with volunteers available to answer YOUR concerns! Call Team Clark @ 404-892-8227.

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