Data published by the Federal Trade Commission has suggested that the highest level of identity theft and fraud in 2022 affects people in Whatcom County in the U.S. with 252 reports for the first half of the year.
Compared to other states such as Bellingham where the average static for victims of identity fraud in the region is only 1 in every 865 people, 252 cases of identity theft were reported to police during the first two quarters of the year.
So far in 2022, 603,591 reports have been calculated by the Federal trade Commission in denser numbers across states like Georgia, Florida and Louisiana. The most common type of theft was attributed to credit card fraud, loan or lease scams and banking fraud while exploration of government documents and services was lower down in the percentages.
In a statement announcing the new statistics, the Federal Trade Commission reiterated the common occurrence of scams, commenting “scams affect everyone. And we mean everyone — your family, friends, and neighbours”. Despite owning the highest rates in 2022, the total level of identity theft has fallen from 2021 figures during the first half of the year when 934 reports were counted, or approximately 416 per 100,000 residents.
