Mapped: Check Fraud by State

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1 hour ago

October 10, 2025

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Jenna Ross

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Zack Aboulazm

The following content is sponsored by Citizens Bank

Mapped: Check Fraud by State

Key Takeaways

On a population-adjusted basis, check fraud is highest in Delaware and South Dakota.
The lowest rates of fraud are in Idaho and Wyoming.

Check fraud is by far the most common type of fraud. In fact, it’s reported nearly twice as often as credit and debit card incidents and 2.5 times more often than automated clearing house (ACH) cases. But which states are hit the hardest?

Created in partnership with Citizens Bank, this graphic is the second in our Checkmate on Checks series and breaks down check fraud on a population-adjusted basis.

A State-by-State Look at Check Fraud

We looked at check fraud that depository institutions reported to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Given that states with higher populations would naturally experience more fraud reports, we’ve adjusted the data to show reports per 100,000 residents.

State	Check Fraud Reports per 100K Residents
Delaware	1,793
South Dakota	852
North Carolina	559
Ohio	448
Alabama	416
Rhode Island	383
Virginia	325
Utah	278
New York	253
District of Columbia	242
Illinois	237
Georgia	204
New Jersey	190
Alaska	180
California	163
Florida	163
North Dakota	162
Texas	157
Minnesota	155
Maryland	142
Pennsylvania	127
Arkansas	114
Nevada	114
Connecticut	113
South Carolina	111
Massachusetts	111
Indiana	106
Mississippi	104
Nebraska	103
Tennessee	102
Michigan	97
Washington	91
Hawaii	91
Louisiana	87
Missouri	84
Montana	81
Maine	79
Oklahoma	77
Arizona	77
Wisconsin	77
Oregon	74
Kansas	73
Kentucky	73
West Virginia	72
New Mexico	71
Colorado	68
Iowa	67
New Hampshire	58
Vermont	58
Wyoming	49
Idaho	37

Source: U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, U.S. Census Bureau. Fraud data are the latest available from September 2024–August 2025, and population data are as of 2024.

Delaware and South Dakota have the highest fraud rates. Both have relatively small populations and favorable regulations that have made them financial hubs.

At the other end of the scale, Idaho and Wyoming have the lowest levels of fraud related to checks on a population-adjusted basis. Both states have very low population density, which would make them less of a target in the rising trend of mail theft.

What Companies Say About Check Usage

Nearly half of companies still use checks, though this has decreased from 59% in 2024. Companies say checks are critical due to contractor, employee, and vendor preferences, along with fraud concerns.

However, these fraud concerns may be misguided. Companies that use checks were more likely to experience fraud and, as mentioned at the start of this article, check fraud is by far the most common type that financial institutions report.

Notably, many businesses do plan to transition to faster, more secure digital payments in the near future. In fact, a third of companies plan to switch to exclusively digital payments within the next year.

See the latest payment trends in the free report from Citizens Bank.

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Mapped: Check Fraud by State