LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada has the worst cybercrime problem in the nation, according to FBI internet crime data.
With 637 cybercrime victims for every 100,000 people, Nevada ranked at the top, followed by Alaska, Iowa, Florida and Delaware. According to the study, identity theft was the biggest cybercrime against Nevadans.
The study published by thirdpartytrust.com compared states by cybercrimes per capita. Nevada alone had 19,766 victims of cybercrime in 2021, and ranked highest in the study because it has a smaller population than most states. Nationwide, the average number of victims per state is 11,752.
Nevadans lost a staggering $127.8 million dollars to cyber thieves — nearly $6,500 per victim. There were 40 states with higher losses per victim, with North Dakota far in front of other states at $32,016 per victim. New York ($21,751 per victim), California ($21,464), Connecticut ($20,616) and Vermont ($18,838) rounded out the top five.
In May, Metro Sgt. Beth Schmidt told 8 News Now the Financial Crimes Section handles 400 to 500 cases per month. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has 20 detectives and five civilian investigative specialists dedicated to solving the crimes.
Schmidt said Metro encourages victims to report cybercrimes through IC3 -- the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
IC3 lists Nevada as the nation with the sixth-highest total of cybercrime victims (17,706), but the rankings don't take population into account. California is at the top with 67,095 victims in 2021.