California was among the top 20 states in the nation with the highest rates of fraud, according to a new study by MoneyRadar, a French-based financial education and investment company.
The Golden State ranked 18th in the MoneyRadar study, the company said in a Saturday, Feb. 21 news release.
“Fraud remains a persistent issue across the US, with millions of incidents reported each year,” a MoneyRadar spokesperson said in the release. “Federal Trade Commission data shows 6.524 million fraud reports nationwide in 2024, with 1.559 million recorded in the final quarter alone, underlining how consistently widespread the problem has become.”
How were states’ rankings determined?
Using Federal Trade Commission reports from Q3 2024 to Q2 2025, MoneyRadar said it totaled the “number of reports in each state before scaling them by population sizes to determine the ranking.”
California findings
In the time frame assessed by MoneyRadar, California had 473,372 fraud reports, the most of any state, according to the company.
The number of reports per 100,000 people was 1,200.50, placing the state 18th in the ranking, according to MoneyRadar.
“(The state’s) concentration of technology firms, financial institutions and online marketplaces creates multiple high-value targets for complex identity theft, payment fraud and investment scams,“ MoneyRadar said.
How did other states compare?
Across the country, North Dakota had the lowest fraud rate, with 657.19 reports per 100,000 people, while Georgia had the highest rate, with 1,839.86 reports per 100,000 people, according to MoneyRadar.
“The findings also reveal clear geographic differences in fraud exposure,” a MoneyRadar person said. “States in the Southeast appear disproportionately affected, with Georgia and Florida recording some of the highest per-capita reporting rates in the country, suggesting these areas may be more heavily targeted by certain types of scams.”
Here are 20 states with the highest fraud rate:
How to avoid scams
Cybersecurity is key in preventing fraud, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
“When cybersecurity is inadequate, it can lead to stolen identity and financial loss,” the FDIC says. “Most scams and scammers have two main goals — to steal your money and your identity.”
Here are some steps to protect yourself from fraud:
Some scams to watch for include the following, according to the FDIC:
What to do if you’re a victim of fraud?
Here are some tips from the Federal Trade Commission in the event you’ve paid a potential scammer, gave them your personal information or granted access to your compute or phone.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: MoneyRadar ranks states with highest fraud. See where California ranks
Reporting by Daniella Segura, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
