New Jersey ranks 4th most vulnerable to identity theft and fraud, WalletHub study finds
Amid a rising wave of data breaches and record financial losses tied to scams, New Jersey has been ranked the 4th most vulnerable state in the nation for identity theft and fraud, according to a new study released Wednesday by the personal-finance website WalletHub.
The report comes as federal data shows U.S. consumers lost nearly $12.5 billion to fraud last year, a 25% increase over the previous year. Meanwhile, major breaches continue to expose millions of Americans’ personal information. This year’s massive AT&T breach leaked sensitive data from nearly 86 million customer accounts, including more than 44 million Social Security numbers stored in plain text, now circulating on the dark web.
WalletHub’s analysis compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 15 key metrics measuring both exposure to identity-related crimes and the financial impact on victims. Indicators included identity-theft complaints per capita, average monetary losses, fraud reports and state-level prevention programs.
New Jersey scored near the top in several categories, contributing to its overall rank:
- 12th – Identity-theft complaints per capita
- 1st – Average loss amount due to online identity theft
- 9th – Fraud and other complaints per capita
- 9th – Median loss amount due to fraud
- 1st – State security-freeze laws for minors’ credit reports
- 1st – Identity-theft passport program
- 10th – Average loss amount through cryptocurrency schemes
WalletHub noted that both new and longstanding scams continue to target Americans, ranging from tech-support and phishing schemes to fraudulent IRS calls. The report emphasizes that the effectiveness of state protections — such as credit-freeze laws and victim assistance programs — plays a significant role in determining vulnerability.
The full report, “2025’s States Most Vulnerable to Identity Theft & Fraud,” is available on WalletHub’s website.
