Report: Tuscaloosa one of the worst cities in the US for fraud

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ( WIAT ) — The city of Tuscaloosa might be the home of the Crimson Tide, but it is also home to some of the highest cases of fraud in the country.

In a report by USA Today , Tuscaloosa was listed as one of the worst cities for fraud in the United States, beating out cities like Miami and New York City. In fact, between 2019 and 2023, the city experienced a 359.8% increase in credit card fraud and identity theft, rounding out at 296.6 complaints out of 100,000 residents. That marks the highest number of complaints in the country.

With general fraud, which can include mail and health care fraud, Tuscaloosa reported 1,844 complaints per 100,000, a number beat only by Atlanta, which reported 1898.4 complaints per 100,000 residents in that time. Between January 2023 and September 2023, fraud cases in Tuscaloosa reported a 235.5% increase in fraud compared to the same period in 2019.

“This could possibly demonstrate specific vulnerabilities in these areas; again, there is a heavy concentration of increasing fraud in the south and southeast,” the report stated. “Three of the top ten cities are in Louisiana alone, while Texas and Florida both have four cities where fraud complaints have at least doubled.”

The report was completed using fraud data from the Federal Trade Commission and population trends from the United States Census Bureau .

Other cities that ranked among the worst for fraud were Miami; Sumter, South Carolina and Sebastian, Florida.

The full report can be viewed here .

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