New research by Website Builder Expert, the online resource for creating and launching a website, has revealed the states which are set to lose the most money to cybercrime in 2018.
The study compares data from the FBI’s Internet Crime Report and the Insurance Information Institute to reveal the states with the most to lose from cybercrime in the coming year, including the states whose individual citizens are at most financial risk.
California is set to lose over $329 million to cybercrime this year, over $189 million more than the second worst state, New York, and as much as the bottom 36 states combined.
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Despite the Golden State being home to one of the world’s most innovative tech hubs, Silicon Valley, it appears that there is still much work to do to protect Californian citizens from illegal activity online.
Though New Yorkers are not in the worst position in terms of statewide losses, individual citizens in the Big Apple have the most money stolen from them when they are targeted – around $7,150 per reported attack.
In terms of the prevalence of cybercrime, those in Michigan are most at risk with over 201 reports of illegal online activity per 100,000 people. At the other end of the spectrum, Hawaiians are the least at risk with only 55 reports per 100,000 people.
The research also shows that cybercrime in Florida is increasing at the highest rate of all the 50 states.
>See also: 2017 was the year that defined cybercrime
With violations increasing at an average of 1,421 each year, the Sunshine State has fallen far behind its peers in thwarting these attacks, which in turn are costing Florida’s economy an extra $4.27 million each year.
On a brighter note, the study shows that cyber security measures in Arizona are working. Statewide complaints have been reduced by more than 3 per 100,000 people – the biggest reduction of all the states in the study.
Tom Watts, who headed up this research for Website Builder Expert comments: “This research shows just how widespread the issue of cybercrime is and how increasingly vulnerable US citizens are becoming online. However, knowing is half the battle and this report should hopefully increase awareness and encourage more people to think more carefully about their day-to-day online security.”
