The worst town for identity theft: Napa, California

While you're sipping Chardonnay and enjoying the beauty of the wine country, crooks may be busy swiping your identity. According to a Federal Trade Commission study, Napa, California, earned the title of worst town for identity theft, with over 300 consumer complaints per 100,000 residents in 2007.

Madera, California, (280 complaints per 100,000 residents) and Greeley, Colorado, (228 complaints) followed Napa on the list. On a state level, California (120 complaints) was surpassed by only Arizona, which had the worst per-capita trouble with identity theft (137 complaints).

The picture's quite different for general fraud (which includes more than just identity theft). Albany-Lebanon, Oregon, topped that list, followed by Greeley and Napa. Among the states, Colorado had the worst fraud problem, trailed by Washington and Missouri. California lands at #19 on that list.

What form do these crimes take? In California (as with most states), credit card fraud tops the list of ID theft types, accounting for 23 percent of all complaints. Employment-related fraud and phone/utilities fraud follow closely behind, each with 18 percent.

In terms of general fraud, most victims were swindled by home shopping and catalog sale scams, which made up 11 percent of the complaints. Internet services, foreign money orders, and sweepstakes/lotteries complaints were the next most prevalent types of fraud. The total fraudulent haul in California alone was $171 million, costing each victim an average of over $3,000.

These problems are growing at breakneck pace, with over 800,000 fraud complaints received in 2007. And a full 32 percent of the complaints involve identity theft. So no matter where you live — wine country or dairy land — be aware of the risks, keep tabs on your wallet, and pay cash if something seems the least bit fishy.

Get the entire 92-page report (PDF format) by clicking here.