SC hit with more fraud than most other states in 2022, FTC report says. See the most popular scams

Patrick McCreless
Tero Vesalainen/File illustration

South Carolina had more fraud reports than most other states in 2022, based on population, a new federal report shows.

South Carolina ranked seventh highest for fraud in the U.S. last year, based on the number of reports per 100,000 population, according to the recent report from the Federal Trade Commission. Palmetto State residents reported a total of 57,447 fraud reports last year and a total of $75.9 million in losses from scams.

To report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission, click here.

Here were the most reported scam categories of 2022 for the state.

  • Identity theft: 24%

  • Credit bureaus, information furnishers a report users: 19%

  • Imposter scams: 10%

  • Banks and lenders: 5%

  • Online shopping, negative reviews: 5%

  • Debt collection: 4%

  • Auto related: 4%

  • Prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries: 3%

  • Health care: 2%

  • Telephone and mobile services: 2%

In regards to the scams, South Carolina ranked ninth in the U.S. for having the most identify theft reports per 100,000 population, the report states. Residents reported a total of 17,908 identity thefts in 2022.

Here were the top identity theft types, according to the report.

  • Other identity theft: 39%

  • Credit Card fraud: 32%

  • Bank fraud: 18%

  • Loan and lease fraud: 14%

  • Phone or utilities fraud: 7%

Nationwide fraud statistics

  • Fraud cost American consumers $8.8 billion in 2022.

  • While the total amount of fraud reports dropped to 2.4 million in 2022 from 2.9 million the prior year, the aggregate amount lost to scams jumped 44%.

  • Imposter scams were the most used forms of fraud reported. Victims lost a total of $2.6 billion, up from $2.4 billion in 2021.

  • Young adults (20 to 29 year olds) reported losing money more often than older adults (70 to 79 year olds). However, when older adults lost money, they lost more than any other age group.

Top 10 states with most fraud reports per 100,000 population

  1. Georgia

  2. Delaware

  3. Nevada

  4. Florida

  5. Maryland

  6. Pennsylvania

  7. South Carolina

  8. Virginia

  9. Alabama

  10. New Jersey

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