Georgia ranks among most vulnerable to identity theft and fraud

Personal finance site WalletHub, recently released its ranking states most vulnerable to identity theft and fraud, and Georgia came in at number 5.

The site based its rankings on reports of fraud and theft, as well as on each state’s policies to address the issue. The crime data came from the Federal Trade Commission, the FBI and others. Regardless of the state you live in, fraud is up.

“U.S. consumers reported losing 30% more money due to fraud last year compared to the previous year, totaling nearly $8.8 million in losses nationwide,” reported the FTC.

The holidays are an especially dangerous time when it comes to identity theft and fraud, particularly since holiday shopping often means giving financial data to sites we don’t normally use.

TransUnion — a credit reporting agency — cited a 12% increase over the last year in digital fraud during the holiday season.

“Websites often leave personal information and financial data on your hard drive after a transaction,” added Legal Zoom. “So avoid making holiday purchases from the computers at the public library. Many tech-savvy thieves use viruses and spyware capable of grabbing account numbers and passwords right off your computer.”

5 ways to protect yourself against holiday fraud

“Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to ensure that your shopping practices — no matter where or how you decide to spend your holiday budget — are more secure,” noted Spero FInancial. Here are five ways to protect yourself against holiday fraud:

“If you see an offer — whether it’s a pop-up online, a Facebook ad or a sign near the mall — if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Before you give anyone any information, do your due diligence and find out if it’s a real deal or a real stealm,” advised Spero financial.