Whether or not it is wiring cash to lengthy misplaced kin in Africa, sending a cash order to U.S. Marshals Service to keep away from being arrested, or turning into the sufferer of a crash-for-cash automobile insurance coverage scheme, scams are seemingly round each nook.

However these grifts are extra prevalent in some areas of the nation than others. Hundreds of individuals report auto-related scams to the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) every year, and Buyautoinsurance.com used that information to slim down the highest ten states with the bottom quantity of scams.

With a purpose to decide the outcomes, researchers pulled the newest information from the FTC, which encompassed all of 2021. They calculated the variety of auto-related circumstances by state utilizing the chances and rip-off case numbers over the three-quarters of annual information supplied by the FTC.

To verify the variety of circumstances have been related to the variety of state occupants, Buyautoinsurance.com's researchers used resident information from the Census Bureau to calculate the speed of auto-related circumstances per 1,000 residents.

10. Utah

Utah had a complete of 723 auto associated scams reported, which is 22.6 per 1,000 residents. On common that is about 80 circumstances monthly all through the 9 month interval. In comparison with the 25,304 complete rip-off studies in Utah, auto-related studies solely made up 2.8 % of all studies.

9. Michigan

Though Michigan averages out to 21.1 auto scams per 1,000 residents, the state reported 2,112 scams. Total, auto-related circumstances made up simply 2.5 % of the 83,517 complete studies in Michigan.

Traffic risky drivers pandemic
States positioned within the Northwest are the least prone to have reported auto-related scams. Justin Sullivan/Getty Photographs

8. Hawaii

Hawaii solely reported 295 complete auto-related scams within the 9 month interval which calculates to twenty.8 per 1,000 residents. Auto scams made of two.4 % of the islands' 11,901 complete scams in 9 months.

7. Montana

Montana had only a few auto-related circumstances reported at simply 94 studies and a charge of 20.4 studies per 1,000 residents. Nevertheless, scams within the state are quite low with 7,963 reported in 9 months. Auto associated studies accounted for two.8 %.

6. Maine

Maine can also be a state with a low variety of rip-off studies. It is 261 auto-related rip-off studies account for lower than three % of all rip-off studies within the state. This comes out to 19.4 auto-related circumstances per 1,000 residents.

5. Nebraska

Nebraska trails intently behind with 19.1 auto associated studies per 1,000 residents. The 369 auto scams account for 3 % of the state's 12,107 complete scams.

4. Minnesota

With a charge of 18.8 auto-related studies per 1,000 residents, Minnesota is available in at quantity 4. Though 1,058 auto-related studies could appear excessive for this half of the listing, it solely makes up 2.4 % of Minnesota's 43,329 complete rip-off studies.

3. Iowa

Regardless of Iowa's 18,539 rip-off circumstances, solely 551 have been auto associated accounting for simply 2.9 % of the case. This calculates to a charge of 17.5 auto-related studies per 1,000 residents.

2. North Dakota

North Dakota solely had a complete of 121 auto-related studies within the 9 month interval. That could be a charge of 16 circumstances per 1,000 residents. That is one other state with a low rip-off charge with simply 4,497 studies, so auto-related circumstances solely made up 2.6 % of complete studies in North Dakota.

1. South Dakota

The primary state the place you might be least prone to be a sufferer of an auto-related rip-off is South Dakota. It had the bottom charge of auto-related studies per 1,000 residents on this listing — solely 14 studies per 1,000 residents and 124 studies complete.

South Dakota reported a complete of 4,323 rip-off studies and auto associated scams contributed 2.8 % to the full.

Typically, auto-related rip-off studies within the 10 greatest states solely made up 5.8 % of the 99,415 complete auto associated scams within the U.S. in the course of the 9 months.

No matter whether or not you reside in a high-risk or low-risk state, doing analysis earlier than shopping for a automobile or visiting a store will enable you to see via potential scams.

For those who assume you've got been the sufferer of fraud, you'll be able to name your state's fraud hotline. You can too go to your state's fraud web site to be taught extra about easy methods to report insurance coverage frauds and what are the most typical sorts to be looking out for.