Be aware that 40 million crooks obtained credit card numbers this past year, Be Suspicious. Also be aware that most identify theft is not reported, especially when it involves family members, so the statistics are off. These statistics show that consumers lost $5 billion last year when in actuality it is closer to $50 billion. There have been an estimated 9.9 million victims in America.

In a recent article in MSN Money their research showed that 32% of people said they had been a victim of identity fraud by a friend or family, and 13% were victimized by a co-worker. Beware! These people know your patterns and habits.

Contact the fraud departments of the three major credit bureaus, to place a fraud alert on your credit file.

Close all accounts that have been affected and request copies of fraud-dispute forms and complete and return immediately. Keep copies!

File a police report in each jurisdiction the theft occurred

Send copies of the report to your creditors or anyone that requires proof of the crime

File a complaint with the FTC (800-IDTHEFT or www.consumer.gov/idtheft) and Post Office

Contact the Identity Theft Resource center at 858-693-7935 or www.idtheftcenter.org

Request a new drivers license from the state of motor vehicles and have a fraud report attached to your driving record.

Notify check-verification firms about any fraudulent checks:

International check service 800-526-5380
Telecheck 800-927-0755
Certegy Check Services 800-437-5120

Call 1-888-CALL-FCC and file a complaint.

Change your passwords and PIN immediately.