How Vulnerable Are Illinoisans to ID Theft?

The ID theft numbers here in Illinois are big, and Illinoisans who procrastinate on filing their taxes are particularly at risk, according to a new report.

There were 371,061 reported cases of identity theft last year, including 15,841 in Illinois, according to an online report from the financial news site 24/7 Wall St.

Overall, identity theft seems to be falling in the country. There were nearly 400,000 cases in 2016 and more than 490,000 known incidents in 2015, the report said.

Illinois' overall numbers put us at #7 on the list of states most vulnerable to some form of identity theft:

Identity theft complaints: 124 per 100,000 (total: 15,841)
Median loss for all types of fraud: $460 (20th highest)
Most common form of ID theft: Credit card fraud (39 percent of total)
Second most common form of ID theft: Employment or tax-related fraud (19 percent of total)

Analysts say the most troubling part of the study is that your chances of being an ID theft victim depend strongly on where you live. South Dakota had the lowest rate of identity theft with just 46 reported cases for every 100,000 residents. But other states, such as Michigan and Florida, saw identity theft rates that were more than three times as high.

Americans in their 30s reported more cases of identity theft last year than any other age group, the site said. The second most-common group was individuals in their 40s.

The top 5 states with the biggest ID theft problems are: