The States Most at Risk for Sweepstakes & Prize Scams (2026)
A Sweepstakes Radar report ranking all 50 U.S. states using FTC Consumer Sentinel Network complaint data, reported dollar losses, and per-capita fraud rates.
Key Findings
3
States at High Risk
58,694
Total Complaints
$257M
Total Reported Losses
17.5
Complaints per 100K People (U.S. Avg)
Scam Risk by State
Click any state to jump to its details in the rankings table below.
Top 10 Highest-Risk States
These states had the highest composite scam risk scores based on FTC 2025 complaint data.
Complete State Rankings
All 50 states and Washington, D.C. Click column headers to sort.
| Rank | State | Risk Score | Per 100K | Total Complaints | Dollar Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Wyoming(WY) | 88High Risk | 23.2 | 134 | $1.3M |
| #2 | Arizona(AZ) | 78High Risk | 22.4 | 1,664 | $12.2M |
| #3 | Maine(ME) | 76High Risk | 27.9 | 390 | $800K |
| #4 | Alaska(AK) | 74Elevated | 22.6 | 166 | $958K |
| #5 | Arkansas(AR) | 73Elevated | 25.3 | 775 | $2.6M |
| #6 | West Virginia(WV) | 73Elevated | 24.1 | 426 | $1.8M |
| #7 | New Mexico(NM) | 71Elevated | 25.3 | 534 | $1.3M |
| #8 | Missouri(MO) | 71Elevated | 20.9 | 1,298 | $7.9M |
| #9 | Oregon(OR) | 69Elevated | 24.1 | 1,020 | $2.9M |
| #10 | Nevada(NV) | 69Elevated | 23.9 | 763 | $2.4M |
| #11 | Montana(MT) | 68Elevated | 25.9 | 293 | $296K |
| #12 | Alabama(AL) | 68Elevated | 24.3 | 1,239 | $2.9M |
| #13 | Mississippi(MS) | 67Elevated | 22.7 | 666 | $2.2M |
| #14 | Oklahoma(OK) | 66Elevated | 22.5 | 903 | $2.8M |
| #15 | Tennessee(TN) | 66Elevated | 20.8 | 1,482 | $6.9M |
| #16 | North Carolina(NC) | 66Elevated | 20 | 2,170 | $11.1M |
| #17 | Idaho(ID) | 65Elevated | 22.3 | 438 | $1.3M |
| #18 | Florida(FL) | 65Elevated | 19.6 | 4,576 | $23.7M |
| #19 | South Dakota(SD) | 64Elevated | 15.3 | 141 | $1.2M |
| #20 | South Carolina(SC) | 63Elevated | 21.6 | 1,162 | $3.4M |
| #21 | Kansas(KS) | 63Elevated | 20.8 | 612 | $2.2M |
| #22 | Washington(WA) | 63Elevated | 19.8 | 1,550 | $6.6M |
| #23 | Kentucky(KY) | 63Elevated | 19.7 | 893 | $3.9M |
| #24 | Hawaii(HI) | 61Elevated | 17.6 | 254 | $1.4M |
| #25 | New Hampshire(NH) | 61Elevated | 15.8 | 221 | $1.6M |
| #26 | Georgia(GA) | 60Elevated | 17.3 | 1,905 | $10.7M |
| #27 | Minnesota(MN) | 60Elevated | 16.6 | 953 | $5.8M |
| #28 | Ohio(OH) | 58Elevated | 19.8 | 2,332 | $6.2M |
| #29 | Virginia(VA) | 58Elevated | 19.2 | 1,670 | $5.4M |
| #30 | Pennsylvania(PA) | 57Elevated | 17.5 | 2,264 | $9.8M |
| #31 | Colorado(CO) | 56Elevated | 18.3 | 1,073 | $3.7M |
| #32 | Utah(UT) | 56Elevated | 16.3 | 557 | $2.8M |
| #33 | Vermont(VT) | 56Elevated | 16.2 | 105 | $527K |
| #34 | Indiana(IN) | 55Elevated | 17.8 | 1,220 | $4.1M |
| #35 | Louisiana(LA) | 55Elevated | 16.3 | 745 | $3.5M |
| #36 | California(CA) | 55Elevated | 14.9 | 5,802 | $34.5M |
| #37 | Delaware(DE) | 54Elevated | 17.5 | 178 | $591K |
| #38 | Maryland(MD) | 53Elevated | 17 | 1,049 | $3.8M |
| #39 | Wisconsin(WI) | 53Elevated | 16.4 | 969 | $3.8M |
| #40 | District of Columbia(DC) | 52Elevated | 18 | 122 | $262K |
| #41 | Iowa(IA) | 52Elevated | 17.2 | 552 | $1.6M |
| #42 | North Dakota(ND) | 52Elevated | 17.2 | 135 | $414K |
| #43 | Texas(TX) | 52Elevated | 15.4 | 4,687 | $20.6M |
| #44 | Illinois(IL) | 52Elevated | 14.2 | 1,773 | $9.7M |
| #45 | Michigan(MI) | 50Elevated | 17.5 | 1,756 | $3.4M |
| #46 | Nebraska(NE) | 49Moderate | 16.2 | 320 | $877K |
| #47 | New York(NY) | 45Moderate | 12.1 | 2,371 | $11.7M |
| #48 | Connecticut(CT) | 43Moderate | 12.1 | 439 | $1.8M |
| #49 | New Jersey(NJ) | 40Moderate | 11.1 | 1,035 | $4.2M |
| #50 | Rhode Island(RI) | 38Moderate | 13.1 | 144 | $237K |
| #51 | Massachusetts(MA) | 33Moderate | 11 | 768 | $1.5M |
How to Spot a Sweepstakes Scam
Protect yourself with these red flags from the FTC and our own verification team.
You're told you won a sweepstakes you never entered.
You must pay a fee, tax, or shipping charge to claim a prize.
You're asked for bank account details, a Social Security number, or other financial information.
You're pressured to act immediately or told the offer expires today.
The sponsor is anonymous, unverifiable, or uses a free email address.
Sweepstakes Radar manually verifies every listing before publishing. See our 5-point verification process →
"Sweepstakes scams cost Americans hundreds of millions of dollars every year, and the people hurt most are those who can least afford it. This report exists to make the problem visible — state by state — so consumers, journalists, and policymakers can see where the risk is highest and take action."
Pete Danylewycz
Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Sweepstakes Radar
Sources & Citations
Find Verified Sweepstakes You Can Trust
Every listing on Sweepstakes Radar is manually verified against a 5-point checklist before it goes live — so you can enter with confidence.
Last updated: June 23, 2026. Data reflects FTC Consumer Sentinel Network reports for calendar year 2025. This report is published by Sweepstakes Radar for informational purposes and does not constitute legal or financial advice.