Alison D. has been sitting at her reception desk all morning, answering phones and making appointments. It is almost lunchtime, and she is tired and hungry. The phone on her desk rings. One last call before lunch, she thinks.

The voice on the other end of the line is urgent; it's her bank and there's an emergency. Someone is trying to access her ATM account. Someone is trying to steal her money. She needs to act fast, says the voice. Alison starts to sweat, to panic.

The bank representative needs information quickly to block access. Alison needs to authorize "the block." The bank representative needs personal verification -- she needs Alison's personal identification number.

In a panic and without thinking, Alison blurts it out. The line goes dead. Bank records later show a maximum withdrawal of cash from her account moments later.

Alison has just fallen victim to identity theft.

Identity theft is on the rise. Officer Ernie Schwarz, an 18-year veteran in the Twin Cities Police Department in Marin County, calls it "the crime of the new millennium." Schwarz investigates two or more cases a month.

With advances in technology and Internet use, personal information has become much more available, meaning identity theft will continue to increase. Schwarz says that there are two main types of identity theft covered under different sections of California Penal Code 530.5. One is the use of someone else's existing credit to make purchases or withdraw cash (as in the case of Alison). The other is the assumption of someone else's identity to apply for new credit.

Recently, one person used another's personal information and was able to get a $10,000 personal loan," said Schwarz. "Many people don't realize the most important piece of information for identity thieves is the social security number. It is the number one thing (people) should not give out. (It) opens up the door for [thieves] to get in."

According to a report by the Federal Trade Commission released on Jan. 22, identity theft affected 380,103 people in the United States last year. California ranked as the state with the highest incidence rate. Of the 30,738 people in California reporting identity theft last year, 39 percent were affected by credit card fraud specifically, making credit card the number one type of identity theft in the state.

Alison never contacted the police because she felt "too stupid." This is not unusual; the FTC report also indicates that 53 percent of victims never notify any police department. A later search revealed that Alison's purse was missing, and she spent months canceling credit cards, closing her checking accounts, and worrying that whoever did it knew where she lived. A previous report by the FTC broke statistics down into further categories, saying that 19 percent of victims knew, or had contact with the perpetrator.

Schwarz says that no matter what, "it is still important to report it." He says that a police report goes a long way in proving your claim to credit companies.

"They might still make you jump through hoops, but it helps." Schwarz adds that "more often then not, [the thieves] keep going."

San Rafael resident Joanne S. left her credit card at a retail store yesterday. It had been a hectic day of shopping. She called the store, and the manager said he had her card and they would put it away for safe keeping. Joanne stood before the clerk hoping to get her card back. The clerks looked through the register drawers only to come back empty-handed. Over the next few months it became apparent that someone had "found" the card. "We had numerous charges for gas and groceries," Joanne said. All were at places where Joanne never shopped.

For the next four or five months, "(We) were dealing with problems with the credit card companies. It was a pain in the ass." Joanne never contacted the police. She "thought it would be too time consuming and nothing would come of it."

A brochure from the San Rafael Police Department lists 12 practical steps to prevent identity theft. Many police departments have similar brochures. The gist of these brochures is to be protective of personal information: watch your mail, destroy old credit cards, shred old financial information, and never give personal information over the telephone and to keep a watch on credit card statements.

"Check your statements online," advises Schwarz.

If you have already suffered an identity theft, there are places to contact for help: the FTC (www.ftc.gov), the Identity Theft Center (www.idtheftcenter.og) and the California Department of Consumer Affairs (www.dca.ca.gov), to name just a few.

Two cities in the Bay Area--San Jose and San Francisco--land in the FTC's top five cities for identity theft. Numbers nationwide have almost doubled every year since 2000, and consumers have reported losses of more than $343 million so far.

Officer Schwarz asks a very important question: "Do you have your Social Security card on you? Why? If you have the number memorized there is absolutely no reason to carry it." It is one small step, but an easy one that could save you months of hassle.