COLUMBIA, S.C. – It’s easier than ever for fraudsters to reach you and/or find your information. Consumers should be on high alert as scammers reach out via letters, phone calls, text messages, social media, fake websites and more.
Unfortunately, the schemes have been successful in separating SC consumers from more than $6.4 million in 2021 according to the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs’ (SCDCA) annual Identity Theft and Scams report.
Additional highlights include:
Consumers filed 444 reports of identity theft.
The top three discovery methods for identity theft were by government notification (21.23%), store or credit card notification (19.38%), and bank notice (15.38%).
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The sum of potential losses to the consumer was $592,970, and the sum of actual losses reported was $3,451,579.
The top three counties that reported identity theft were Richland (13.48%), Horry (7.42%) and Charleston (6.74%).
Consumers filed 738 scam reports.
Fifty-three percent of consumers who reported scams were contacted by phone.
The sum of potential losses to the consumer was $1,047,905 and the sum of actual losses reported was $2,991,577.
The top three counties that reported scams were…
