Cybercrime is an unfortunate reality impacting individuals and businesses alike. The FBI reported that “America experienced an unprecedented increase in cyber-attacks and malicious cyber activity” in 2021. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 847,376 reported complaints in 2021, with potential losses of over $6.9 billion. Ransomware and business e-mail compromise schemes were the top incident types reported. The FBI received an average of 2,300 victims of cybercrime complaints per day.
It is worth taking a look at cybercrime by state to know which states are hit hardest by cyber-attacks so you can be on guard to help prevent cybercrime from devastating your small business or your personal life.
The Top Ten States For Cybercrime
10. New Jersey
New Jersey ranked 10th out of 50 for the number of internet crime victims in 2021: 12,817. With a population of about 9.27 million people, that means that 0.138% of the New Jersey population was potentially impacted by cybercrime.
New Jersey also ranked 6th out of 50 for victim loss. The total loss for New Jersey victims was $203.5 million.
9. Washington
Washington state ranked 9th out of 50 for the number of internet crime victims in 2021: 13,903. With a population of about 7.76 million people, that means that 0.179% of the Washington population was potentially impacted by cybercrime.
Washington also ranked 10th out of 50 for victim loss. The total loss for Washington victims was $157.5 million.
8. Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania ranked 8th out of 50 for the number of internet crime victims in 2021: 17,262. With a population of about 11.78 million people, that means that 0.133% of the Pennsylvania population was potentially impacted by cybercrime.
Pennsylvania also ranked 5th out of 50 for victim loss. The total loss for Pennsylvania victims was $207 million.
7. Ohio
Ohio ranked 7th out of 50 for the number of internet crime victims in 2021: 17,510. With a population of about 11.78 million people, that means that 0.148% of the Ohio population was potentially impacted by cybercrime.
Ohio was not in the FBI’s top ten for internet crime by victim loss in millions! That means that while there were more victims than in Pennsylvania, Washington, or New Jersey, the total amount of loss in dollars was less.
6. Nevada
Nevada ranked 6th out of 50 for the number of internet crime victims in 2021: 17,706. With a population of about 3.14 million people, that means that 0.56% of the Nevada population was potentially impacted by cyber crime.
Nevada was not in the FBI’s top ten for internet crime by victim loss in millions! That means that while there were more victims than in Pennsylvania, Washington, or New Jersey, the total amount of loss in dollars was less than in those states.
5. Illinois
Illinois ranked 5th out of 50 for the number of internet crime victims in 2021: 17,999. With a population of about 12.67 million people, that means that 0.142% of the Illinois population was potentially impacted by cyber crime.
Illinois also ranked 7th out of 50 for victim loss. The total loss for Illinois victims was $184.9 million.
4. New York
New York ranked 4th out of 50 for the number of internet crime victims in 2021: 29,065. That’s a big jump from the previous five states! With a population of about 19.84 million people, that means that 0.146% of the New York population was potentially impacted by cyber crime.
New York also ranked 3rd out of 50 for victim loss. The total loss for New York victims was a concerning $506 million.
3. Texas
Texas ranked 3rd out of 50 for the number of internet crime victims in 2021: 41,148. With a population of about 29.53 million people, that means that 0.139% of the Texas population was potentially impacted by cybercrime.
Texas also ranked 2nd out of 50 for victim loss. The total loss for Texas victims was $606.2 million. Cybercriminals messed with Texas!
2. Florida
Florida ranked 2nd out of 50 for the number of internet crime victims in 2021: 45,855. With a population of about 21.78 million people, that means that 0.21% of the Florida population was potentially impacted by cyber crime. That’s the highest percentage impacted in the top ten states.
Florida also ranked 4th out of 50 for victim loss. The total loss for Florida victims was $528.6 million.
1. California
California ranked 1st out of 50 for the number of internet crime victims in 2021: 67,095. With a population of about 39 million people, that means that 0.172% of the California population was potentially impacted by cybercrime.
California also ranked 1st out of 50 for victim loss. The total loss for California victims was over $1.2 billion. Yes, that’s billion. Being a land of innovation comes with some serious cyber risks.
Do you see your state in that top ten list?
If you’re operating a small business in California, Florida, Texas, New York, or gulp… Illinois (that’s us), then it pays to be more cautious. It is important to be familiar with the common types of cybercrime.
The top ten types of cybercrime in 2021 per the FBI IC3 were:
- Phishing
- Non-payment/non-delivery
- Personal data breach
- Identity theft
- Extortion
- Confidence fraud/romance cams
- Tech support fraud
- Investment fraud
- Business email compromise schemes
- Spoofing
It is important to take steps to insulate your small business from the effects of a cyber attack. The best ways to protect your business are to improve your cybersecurity and obtain cyber insurance. Cyber insurance is an optional business insurance policy that typically covers restoring lost data and computer systems back to pre-attack status, lost business and expenses related to the cyber attack, PR services to communicate your response to the attack, forensic IT services, notification services to identify and notify potential victims, and most related legal review and defense costs. It is worth getting a quote for your business.
We hope that your small business never has to deal with a cyber attack of any kind and that you found this news of cybercrime useful. We wish you success in staying prepared, just in case.
It is important to take steps to insulate your small business from the effects of a cyber attack.
