Over the past decade, identity theft has become one of the fastest growing crimes in our country. In 1995, there were only 9,000 complaints nationwide of identity theft. In 2003, it was estimated that 9.9 million people were victimized, part of a total of more than 27.3 million people in the last five years. Identity theft is estimated to have cost businesses and consumers over $53 billion last year. Unfortunately, as several cases in my office have shown, Nassau County residents are not immune from this problem.

Identity theft is defined as the intentional misuse of someone's personal identifying information without the knowledge or permission of that person. This information, primarily name, date of birth, Social Security number, is then used to obtain credit cards, purchase goods, get a job illegally, or even obtain a loan or mortgage in someone else's name.

Identity theft can occur in many different ways. Some of the more common ways it occurs are:

* People, posing as security for a bank or credit card company, contact consumers by phone or e-mail and convince the parties that their accounts have been compromised. In the course of conversation, the con person obtains critical personal information such as date of birth and Social Security number, as well as possible bank account and credit card account numbers.

* Crooks steal people's mail - which often contains credit card and bank statements. Defendants actually steal the garbage of banks and/or businesses, which often might contain personal identifying information or account numbers.

* Thieves pay off employees in stores or businesses to obtain credit card receipts and numbers.

* Defendants file change of address forms at the post office - diverting someone's mail for a few days and leaving critical personal information.

These are only some of the ways that people commit the crime of identity theft. As the number of crimes increases, Nassau County homeowners should be more vigilant in protecting themselves from this crime. Some of the ways that they can do this are:

* Protect your personal information, primarily date of birth, Social Security number and bank/credit card account numbers. Never give them out to anyone who contacts you whom you do not know (phone or e-mail).

* Shred or rip up any documents which contain the above information before throwing them into the garbage.

* Destroy all pre-approved credit applications and courtesy checks mailed to you before discarding them.

* Hang up on all unsolicited phone calls.

* Make sure your mail is either held or collected if you are going on vacation.

* Never write or carry your PIN number with your debit/credit card in case your purse or wallet is stolen.

In addition to the above, people should take two additional steps on a regular basis. First, check your monthly bank and credit card statements to see if there are any charges or withdrawals you did not make. Second, order your credit report at least once a year to ensure that no one has applied for credit in your name during the interim time period.

If, unfortunately, you are the victim of identity theft, you should take several steps as soon as possible. The first is to contact the store or credit card company and notify them that your identity has been stolen. Secondly, you should contact one of the three major credit reporting agencies, Experian (1-(888) 397-3742), Equifax (1-(800) 685-1111) and Trans Union (1-(800) 888-4213) and tell them that you are the victim of identity theft. They will, at your request, flag your credit file with a fraud alert to prevent additional credit from being issued illegally in your name. Thirdly, you should report the identity theft to local law enforcement. You can contact the police precinct (call 911) where you live to file a police report, as well as contact this office's Criminal Fraud's Bureau at 571-3343 for further advice and assistance.