For example, breaches that occurred in any given year or a previous year are included in the year in which the breach was publicized. For that reason, the Identity Theft Resource Center has been tracking security breaches since 2005, looking for patterns, new trends and any information that may better help us to educate consumers and businesses on the need for understanding the value of protecting personal identifying information. These breach incidents will be included by name but without the total number of compromised records included in the cumulative total. : Setting up online management for all of your financial accounts (e.g., credit cards, loans, Social Security), and keeping your phone number, email address and street address up to date will make them harder for identity thieves to hijack. We consulted a panel of experts for answers to such questions and advice on how to safeguard our data against cybercriminals. As an authority on data breach exposures, the ITRC is frequently asked if there are more security breaches now than ever before. Data Disposal Laws by State : Full Weight (~1.25 Points) 
 
 Note: This is a binary metric that measures the presence or absence of data disposal laws in each state. We include, in each reported data breach item, a link or source of the article, and the information presented by that article.
– Given the recent Equifax security breach—alongside a 630% increase in data breaches in the past year, according to one report—identity theft is bound to be a concern for many Americans. But it turns out the state you call home has a lot to do with your risk. WalletHub reviewed identity theft and fraud complaints and policy across the US to come up with the most vulnerable states.