The States Most Likely To Get Scammed

• Nevada leads the ranking of the U.S. states most likely to get scammed, with the highest rate of fraud reports.
• Standing out with the highest loss per scam is Alaska, with $750.
• Florida ranks 9th, with the most scams in the ranking and 148.4K fraud reports.

With the FTC reporting that Americans lost $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, a 25% increase from the previous year, this surge underscores the growing threat of technologically advanced scams. A recent study by CasinooftheKings analyzed fraud reports nationwide to identify the U.S. states most likely to get scammed. The research takes into account median money loss per scam, scam reports among the elderly as one of the most vulnerable groups, and total FTC-reported scams. The final ranking is calculated as a scam rate per 100K residents.

Here is the summary of the findings:

The U.S. state most likely to get scammed is Nevada, with 707.3 fraud reports per 100K residents. Apart from the highest scam rate, these frauds cost a lot to their victims with $649 per scam, the third-highest money loss in the ranking.

Ranking second in the list of the most scammed states is Maryland, with a rate of 693.4. The average money loss for the victims in Maryland amounts to $562, $87 less than in Nevada. There were a total of 43.4K scams reported in the state in the last year, but scammers rarely target the elderly in Maryland, with a lower rate of 187.5 per 100K seniors.

Colorado holds 3rd place, with a 681.9 rate. The state has one of the least costly scams in the top 10, but they still amount to $500 per scam. In the last year, over 40.6K scams were reported to the FTC in Colorado.

Oregon follows closely with fourth place and a scam rate of 678.8. The money loss from scams here is similar to Colorado, with $500, but here, scammers target the elderly less often, with a rate of 195.8.

Washington is fifth, getting a scam rate of 669.3. Similar to Oregon and Colorado, average victims lose $500 on a scam, but there were more fraud reports overall, with 53.2K in the last year. When it comes to the elderly, there were over 2.8K complaints about scams submitted.

In sixth position is Delaware, with a scam rate of 667.5. The scams are the least costly here, with a median loss of $490 per scam, and the state has the lowest scam rate for the elderly, with a rate of 143.5. Despite low losses, the fraud is still widespread in the state of Delaware, with 6.8K reported scams.

Arizona ranks 7th, getting a scam rate of 663. The state stands out with the highest fraud rate against the elderly, with 351 scam reports per 100K people. The scams in Arizona are also among the most expensive, with victims losing $700 per scam.

Alaska holds eighth place, with a rate of 638.6. Alaska is the state with the costliest scams, with people losing $750 on average. With a small population, Alaska still stands out with 4.7K FTC-reported scams.

Florida is ninth, getting a scam rate of 635.3 per 100k residents. The scams here usually result in a $600 loss, but the state has the largest number of reported scams in the list, with 148.4K. 

Closing the ranking of the U.S. states most likely to get scammed is Virginia, with tenth place and a scam rate of 619.6. The state has the second-highest number of total scams in the top 10, with 54.6K, which is still over 2.5 times less than in Florida.

A spokesperson from CasinooftheKings commented on the study: “Modern scammers have weaponized technology to create an unprecedented level of sophistication, moving far beyond the crude email phishing attempts of the past to deploy AI-generated voices, deepfake videos, and real-time social media scraping to craft personalized attacks that can fool even tech-savvy individuals. This technological surge puts everyday Americans at a disadvantage, as the tools available to fraudsters are evolving exponentially faster than public awareness and protective measures can keep pace.”