Identity Theft’s About to Get Worse in Michigan

Cyber criminals will seemingly stop at nothing.

They send countless bogus texts, emails and other communications every day, just looking for one person who's got their guard down. Find one, and it's off to the races - that person's identity could be stolen or otherwise compromised in a matter of seconds.

I got this random text just the other day.

Photos via Canva and JR, Townsquare Media Lansing

There's so much here that points toward this being a scam text that it's pathetic.

I'm not currently expecting any packages.
The text doesn't even address me by name; how would they have my phone number?
The United States Postal Service doesn't contact people in this manner.
Just look at that initial run-on sentence. Someone wasn't paying attention in English class.
Their "link" is clearly abnormal.

That's just the tip of the iceberg.

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If you're like me, you unfortunately see texts and emails such as this way too often. Even more unfortunately - experts say it's only going to get worse.

Why Identity Theft Crimes Are Expected to Rise in 2025

According to the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), identity theft crimes are expected to become even more widespread in Michigan and throughout the nation in 2025 for a few different reasons.

The ITRC predicts that the attention of America's law enforcement agencies will be re-focused on other issues in 2025, and that will result in decreased support for victims of identity theft.

The agency also expects criminal fines for those responsible for mass ID theft will drop, ushering in a boom for the cybercrime job market.

Photos via Canva

The ITRC says the new administration is likely to relax federal privacy and security regulations, which will kick the ball to individual state legislatures to handle - potentially opening the door for more cybercrime if lawmakers don't act quickly.

You can read more of the 2025 predictions from the Identity Theft Resource Center here.

Ranking States with Most Online Scams 2022

Here's a state-by-state look, using data available from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), ranking states by total amount of money lost to fraud in 2022.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

Staggering Elderly Victim Fraud Rate in Every State Revealed

Senior citizens are one of the scammers' favorite targets, and with artificial intelligence making it easier to fool even the sharpest among us, those 60 and older are seeing their accounts drained by manipulative and deceptive tactics. VPNPro recently conducted a study, the goal of which was to determine which state in America has seen the most senior scams. Here's a look at the VPNPro's 50 State Ranking for Elder Fraud. For the full methodology, see the #1 state for elder fraud in the United States.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow