The 10 Safest and Most Dangerous States for Cybercrime in 2026

Scammers cost Americans a record $20.8 billion in 2025, a 26% jump from 2024, and where you live had a lot to do with your odds of becoming a target. Iowa posted the lowest complaint rate in the country at 167.9 per 100,000 residents, while Alaska’s rate of 434.3 was nearly 2.6 times higher.

So how vulnerable is your state? Scroll down to see where it ranks among the safest and most dangerous places for cybercrime.

National cybercrime trends in 2025

Online fraud expanded rapidly across several major crime categories last year:

• Investment fraud: Investment schemes caused the heaviest damage, stealing over $8.6 billion from victims. That represents more than 40% of all cybercrime losses reported nationwide.
• Non-delivery and non-payment scams: Common during online shopping and holiday spending, non-delivery and non-payment fraud totaled $503 million in losses.
• Credit card and check fraud: Payment card fraud and fake check schemes added another $283 million in total damages.

While high-population states often log more total complaints, average losses per victim reveal a different picture of where scams hit hardest.

The 10 safest states for cybercrime

Living in a state with a low per-capita complaint rate means fewer people are filing scam reports with the FBI. Southern and Midwestern states dominate this group, taking eight of the top 10 spots, led by Iowa at 167.9 complaints per 100,000 people.

New Jersey is the lone Northeastern state on the list, and complaint rates across all 10 safest states stay tightly grouped between 167.9 and 216.2 per 100,000 residents.

States with the most cybercrime complaints

Digital fraud is most common in the West, where seven of the top 10 states for cybercrime complaints are located. Alaska leads with 434.3 complaints per 100,000 residents, followed closely by Nevada (407.2) and Arizona (378.7).

Massachusetts, Maryland, and New Hampshire round out the top 10 from the Northeast.

However, a high volume of complaints does not mean massive individual losses in every case. Alaska has the highest complaint rate in the nation, yet its average loss per victim ($12,484) sits well below the national median.

Where losses hit hardest per complaint

Looking at average dollar losses per complaint reveals where scammers drain the biggest sums from individual targets. Hawaii and New Jersey take the top two spots, with victims losing an average of nearly $32,000 per incident. That is roughly double the damage suffered by victims in states like Wisconsin or Oklahoma.

New Jersey is an outlier. It is the 10th-safest state by complaint volume, but when residents do get scammed, they lose big. Fewer total scam reports combined with massive financial losses suggests scammers in New Jersey target high-net-worth individuals and businesses through complex investment or wire fraud schemes.

How to prevent cybercrime and secure your internet connection

Most online scams rely on stolen passwords, fake messages, and misleading links. Taking a few basic digital safety steps can stop common threats before they reach your inbox:

• Update all devices, browsers, and apps periodically.
• Create complex, unique passwords for every account.
• Audit your social media privacy settings to limit what personal info is publicly visible.
• Avoid clicking links or downloading attachments from unknown senders.
• Do not share passwords, PINs, or sensitive personal data over email or text messages.
• Watch your connection performance: unexpected speed drops or unusual device pop-ups can point to malware.

To evaluate your home connection and protect your personal data, HighSpeedInternet.com offers several free tools and resources:

• How Safe Is My Internet Connection?
• Best VPNs of 2026
• How to Use a VPN
• Speed test
• 8 Terrifying Security Flaws in Your Wi-Fi—And How to Fix Them
• How to Protect Your Wi-Fi Network
• How to Log In to Your Router
• How to Change Your Wi-Fi Network Name and Password

For additional guidance, review the FBI’s Cyber Threat Resources alongside the official IC3 Annual Report.

Methodology

To rank the safest and most dangerous states for cybercrime in 2026, HighSpeedInternet.com analyzed complaint and loss data from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2025 Annual Report. Rankings are based on IC3’s reported complaint rate per 100,000 residents across all 50 U.S. states. To analyze scam severity, loss per complaint was calculated by dividing total state financial losses by total reported complaints.

The full state rankings