As SC Consumers Report Losses of More than $7 Million to Scams and ID Theft in 2023, SCDCA Provides Free Resources to Guard Against Fraudsters.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) is releasing the annual Identity Theft and Scams Report. The report shows how much money was lost to ID Theft and scams in 2023, along with the reported age ranges and types of ID theft/scams reported to SCDCA. Some of the highlights include:

Identity Theft

• The report contains information from 346 reports of identity theft, a slight decrease when compared to 2022.
• Top three ways consumers discovered they were identity theft victims: business notification (33.62%), bank notice (24.26%) and government notification (12.77%).
• The sum of actual losses to the consumer resulting from identity theft was $1,026,915. This amount is almost double that reported in 2022.
• Of those who provided their age, the largest groups of people filing an identity theft report were 35-44 year-olds (15.98%), 55-64 year-olds (15.38%) and 65-74 year-olds (14.2%).
• Top three counties for identity theft reports: Richland (15.90%), Lexington (8.67%) and Greenville (7.51%).

Scams

• The report contains information from 963 scam reports, a 60% increase over 2022.
• The top three types of scams were: purchase (18.59%), service/repair (10.70%) and lottery/prizes/sweepstakes (10.38%).
• The sum of actual losses reported was $5,983,011, a 146% increase over 2022.
• Of those who provided their age, the largest groups of people filing a scam report were 65-74 year-olds (21.18%), 55-64 year-olds (16.18%) and 75-84 year-olds (15.58%).
• Top three counties for scam reports: Richland (13.60%), Horry (9.14%) and Charleston (7.48%)

SCDCA focused its National Consumer Protection Month activities in March on providing free resources for consumers to avoid becoming a victim of a scam or identity theft:

• Nearly 45,000 pounds of paper were shredded across the state at six SCDCA-sponsored shred days.
• SCDCA staff made eighteen presentations on topics from what to do when your information is breached to money basics to credit scores demystified and more.
• Over 2,300 consumers benefitted from the month-long outreach.    

The 2024 Identity Theft and Scams Report is available for download on the Reports webpage. Consumers are encouraged to report scams or identity theft by calling (800) 922-1594 or visiting consumer.sc.gov and click the How Do I… button, then Report a Scam or Report Identity Theft.

SCDCA offers a variety of free resources to help consumers stay informed including free webinars every Wednesday, free in-person presentations across the state, free brochures and email updates. Download Ditch the Pitch, SCDCA's guide to guarding against scams for more information on how to spot a scam. Follow SCDCA on Facebook and Twitter for tips to keep your personal identifying information safe. 

About SCDCA

Established in 1974, DCA has nearly fifty years of experience in protecting South Carolina consumers while recognizing those businesses that act honestly and fairly. Cultivating a marketplace comprised of well-informed consumers and businesses prevents deceptive and unfair business practices, allows legitimate business activity to flourish, resulting in the promotion of competition and a healthier economy.

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