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1 / 51#51. Washington D.C.
- Losses per victim: $691 (69% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 32 (#12 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $146,462 (#51 highest among all states)
How each state is affected by e-commerce scams
While economies the world over suffered, slowed, and effectively stopped due to the pandemic, the fraud economy flourished. Experts estimated that the annual global cost of fraud in 2020 would total just over $5 trillion USD—more than the GDP of most countries.
But those were pre-pandemic estimates, derived under pre-pandemic conditions and an old normal. Experts believe the actual total in our new covid-concurrent reality is much higher. In some areas around the world, rates of fraud rose by nearly 20%.
The fraud economy, like any other, is vast, complex, and full of skilled operators who drive it. Cybercrime is a major contributor to the fraud economy, with e-commerce fraud as an offshoot.
In the first year of the pandemic, e-commerce sales in the U.S. rose by more than 32%, totaling $791.7 billion as businesses and consumers turned to online shopping amid lockdowns, social distancing restrictions, brick-and-mortar closures, and illness anxiety. But where there is prosperity earned honestly, there is also opportunity for bad actors to cash in.
More than 60% of internet users in the U.S. have experienced cybercrime. According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaints Center (IC3), the five most reported cybercrimes are phishing, non-payment/non-delivery, extortion, personal data breach, and identity theft. People over the age of 60 are most likely to be targets of and fall victim to cybercrime. In 2020 alone, this segment of the population lost more than $966 million to online fraud.
Non-payment and non-delivery fraud was the second most widely reported type of cybercrime in 2020. According to the FBI, in non-delivery situations, where the victim is the buyer, payment is sent but goods and services are never received. In non-payment scams where the victim is the seller, items or services are sent, but payment is never received. These types of scams rose by 76% from 2019 to 2020. Just under 100,000 Americans were impacted by this type of e-commerce crime and collectively lost $217 million.
Wicked Reports broke down state-by-state 2020 data (including Washington D.C.) from the IC3 to determine the states most harmed by non-payment and non-delivery scams in e-commerce, ranked by losses per victim. Population data as of July 1, 2021 was taken from the U.S. Census Bureau to estimate victims per 100,000 citizens for each state. Interestingly, the top-five states most impacted by these scams were neither the states that shop online the most—which could have made them statistically more likely to be affected—nor were they the states that online shop the least, which could have indicated a lack of familiarity with e-commerce best practices.
Vigilance and a healthy bit of skepticism can be your greatest asset in protecting your information online, particularly in e-commerce settings. If a website looks suspicious or a deal looks too good to be true, walk away, or take time to vet it thoroughly. E-commerce fraud is projected to grow by 105% by 2025.
richardjohnson // Shutterstock
2 / 51#50. Kansas
- Losses per victim: $980 (56% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 26 (#38 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $734,971 (#38 highest among all states)
Rotorhead 30A Productions // Shutterstock
3 / 51#49. Kentucky
- Losses per victim: $1,085 (51% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 25 (#39 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $1,227,261 (#33 highest among all states)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
4 / 51#48. New Hampshire
- Losses per victim: $1,133 (49% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 30 (#20 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $464,359 (#45 highest among all states)
Aspects and Angles // Shutterstock
5 / 51#47. Nebraska
- Losses per victim: $1,216 (45% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 26 (#35 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $617,568 (#43 highest among all states)
fizkes // Shutterstock
6 / 51#46. Tennessee
- Losses per victim: $1,221 (45% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 28 (#27 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $2,347,435 (#25 highest among all states)
shuttersv // Shutterstock
7 / 51#45. Arkansas
- Losses per victim: $1,283 (42% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 23 (#49 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $889,084 (#35 highest among all states)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
8 / 51#44. Michigan
- Losses per victim: $1,287 (42% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 29 (#22 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $3,797,858 (#15 highest among all states)
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
9 / 51#43. New Mexico
- Losses per victim: $1,322 (40% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 25 (#41 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $699,286 (#41 highest among all states)
richardjohnson // Shutterstock
10 / 51#42. Indiana
- Losses per victim: $1,327 (40% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 26 (#34 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $2,342,017 (#26 highest among all states)
Pierrette Guertin // Shutterstock
11 / 51#41. Montana
- Losses per victim: $1,346 (39% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 24 (#46 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $349,880 (#48 highest among all states)
Blue Planet Studio // Shutterstock
12 / 51#40. Delaware
- Losses per victim: $1,351 (39% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 54 (#1 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $728,047 (#39 highest among all states)
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
13 / 51#39. Virginia
- Losses per victim: $1,369 (38% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 34 (#4 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $4,080,951 (#12 highest among all states)
WESTOCK PRODUCTIONS // Shutterstock
14 / 51#38. Alabama
- Losses per victim: $1,421 (35% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 27 (#30 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $1,946,953 (#30 highest among all states)
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
15 / 51#37. Mississippi
- Losses per victim: $1,431 (35% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 24 (#44 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $1,033,097 (#34 highest among all states)
Yuganov Konstantin // Shutterstock
16 / 51#36. Wisconsin
- Losses per victim: $1,475 (33% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 25 (#43 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $2,131,149 (#28 highest among all states)
fizkes // Shutterstock
17 / 51#35. Maryland
- Losses per victim: $1,505 (32% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 34 (#5 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $3,131,274 (#21 highest among all states)
Christian Hinkle // Shutterstock
18 / 51#34. Pennsylvania
- Losses per victim: $1,506 (32% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 32 (#11 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $6,180,208 (#9 highest among all states)
oksana.perkins // Shutterstock
19 / 51#33. Washington
- Losses per victim: $1,538 (30% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 31 (#16 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $3,661,392 (#16 highest among all states)
kitzcorner // Shutterstock
20 / 51#32. Idaho
- Losses per victim: $1,560 (29% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 23 (#48 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $688,153 (#42 highest among all states)
Kristi Blokhin // Shutterstock
21 / 51#31. West Virginia
- Losses per victim: $1,575 (28% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 32 (#13 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $888,281 (#36 highest among all states)
fizkes // Shutterstock
22 / 51#30. Vermont
- Losses per victim: $1,614 (27% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 31 (#15 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $324,466 (#49 highest among all states)
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
23 / 51#29. Nevada
- Losses per victim: $1,706 (23% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 43 (#2 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $2,310,590 (#27 highest among all states)
Surasak_Ch // Shutterstock
24 / 51#28. Oklahoma
- Losses per victim: $1,713 (22% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 25 (#42 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $1,685,731 (#31 highest among all states)
antsdrone // Shutterstock
25 / 51#27. Arizona
- Losses per victim: $1,724 (22% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 32 (#14 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $3,953,548 (#13 highest among all states)
Nagel Photography // Shutterstock
26 / 51#26. South Dakota
- Losses per victim: $1,763 (20% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 20 (#51 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $322,646 (#50 highest among all states)
fizkes // Shutterstock
27 / 51#25. North Carolina
- Losses per victim: $1,825 (17% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 28 (#26 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $5,335,908 (#10 highest among all states)
Double P Stock Station // Shutterstock
28 / 51#24. Massachusetts
- Losses per victim: $1,843 (16% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 30 (#18 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $3,853,482 (#14 highest among all states)
Darryl Brooks // Shutterstock
29 / 51#23. Alaska
- Losses per victim: $1,844 (16% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 27 (#29 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $368,833 (#47 highest among all states)
Justlight // Shutterstock
30 / 51#22. Connecticut
- Losses per victim: $1,855 (16% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 30 (#17 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $2,014,503 (#29 highest among all states)
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
31 / 51#21. Missouri
- Losses per victim: $1,939 (12% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 28 (#25 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $3,370,742 (#18 highest among all states)
voronaman // Shutterstock
32 / 51#20. Texas
- Losses per victim: $1,940 (12% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 27 (#31 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $15,309,037 (#4 highest among all states)
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
33 / 51#19. South Carolina
- Losses per victim: $1,974 (10% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 30 (#19 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $3,062,167 (#23 highest among all states)
Rasulov // Shutterstock
34 / 51#18. California
- Losses per victim: $2,046 (7% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 34 (#6 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $26,912,115 (#2 highest among all states)
Kristi Blokhin // Shutterstock
35 / 51#17. Maine
- Losses per victim: $2,082 (5% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 28 (#24 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $814,195 (#37 highest among all states)
Izabela23 // Shutterstock
36 / 51#16. Hawaii
- Losses per victim: $2,134 (3% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 23 (#47 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $719,324 (#40 highest among all states)
Tero Vesalainen // Shutterstock
37 / 51#15. Minnesota
- Losses per victim: $2,196 (0% lower than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 26 (#36 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $3,237,364 (#20 highest among all states)
fizkes // Shutterstock
38 / 51#14. North Dakota
- Losses per victim: $2,228 (1% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 24 (#45 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $416,570 (#46 highest among all states)
Andrew Zarivny // Shutterstock
39 / 51#13. Colorado
- Losses per victim: $2,398 (9% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 32 (#10 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $4,446,800 (#11 highest among all states)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
40 / 51#12. Louisiana
- Losses per victim: $2,485 (13% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 26 (#37 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $2,942,669 (#24 highest among all states)
f11photo // Shutterstock
41 / 51#11. Illinois
- Losses per victim: $2,549 (16% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 26 (#33 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $8,489,230 (#8 highest among all states)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
42 / 51#10. Oregon
- Losses per victim: $2,610 (18% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 29 (#23 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $3,241,371 (#19 highest among all states)
Luciano Mortula - LGM // Shutterstock
43 / 51#9. New York
- Losses per victim: $2,668 (21% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 32 (#9 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $16,997,357 (#3 highest among all states)
FotosForTheFuture // Shutterstock
44 / 51#8. New Jersey
- Losses per victim: $3,008 (37% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 33 (#7 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $9,075,647 (#7 highest among all states)
fizkes // Shutterstock
45 / 51#7. Wyoming
- Losses per victim: $3,373 (53% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 29 (#21 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $573,464 (#44 highest among all states)
Fractal Pictures // Shutterstock
46 / 51#6. Rhode Island
- Losses per victim: $3,463 (57% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 32 (#8 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $1,232,834 (#32 highest among all states)
fizkes // Shutterstock
47 / 51#5. Florida
- Losses per victim: $3,495 (59% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 36 (#3 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $27,055,269 (#1 highest among all states)
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
48 / 51#4. Ohio
- Losses per victim: $3,687 (67% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 26 (#32 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $11,425,775 (#6 highest among all states)
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
49 / 51#3. Utah
- Losses per victim: $3,713 (69% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 25 (#40 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $3,099,967 (#22 highest among all states)
Yavdat // Shutterstock
50 / 51#2. Georgia
- Losses per victim: $4,431 (101% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 28 (#28 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $13,182,112 (#5 highest among all states)
Grindstone Media Group // Shutterstock
51 / 51#1. Iowa
- Losses per victim: $4,858 (121% higher than the national average)
- Victims per 100,000 citizens: 23 (#50 highest among all states)
- Total monetary loss: $3,507,557 (#17 highest among all states)
