And authorities say it's one of the fastest growing crimes in the U.S.

By Frank Bilovsky
Democrat and Chronicle

(May 13, 2001) -- On St. Patrick's Day, thieves stole Raj Mangla's wallet from his truck parked outside a fitness center in Henrietta.

Since then, they've stolen his identity.

Mangla isn't out that much money. Thanks to his homeowners' insurance coverage, the Pittsford resident says he only has to pay the $250 deductible. But the continuing incident will cost him hundreds of hours of aggravation.

Make this phone call, fill out that form, sign this affidavit. No, we can't help you. Why don't you try this number instead?

And when he's done calling all the credit bureaus, credit card companies, banks and retailers to repair his credit, he still won't be sure it's over.

Mangla is just one of thousands of victims of identity theft -- which law enforcement officials say is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country.

No one is quite sure how many cases of identity theft there are. The Federal Trade Commission, the clearinghouse for complaints, lists nearly 46,000 victims between November 1999 and March 2001. But Trans Union, one of the country's three credit-rating services, estimates 750,000 cases last year.

The actual number likely is somewhere in between.

Larry Hoffman, 32, had his identity lifted while he was living in Webster and working as a publicist in Rochester in 1999.

''It's your worst nightmare -- and you don't know it's coming,'' says Hoffman, who didn't discover the theft until six months later. ''I hadn't applied for credit for a long time. That's why I didn't know.''

Hoffman, now working for public broadcasting in Washington, D.C., says he still doesn't know how it happened.

All he knows is that the phone rang at his Webster residence in March 2000.

''It was a representative from the credit office at Radio Shack,'' he says. ''She said, 'Mr. Hoffman, why haven't you paid your $3,000 bill from September?' ''

''I said, 'Why would I ever spend $3,000 at Radio Shack?' She said, 'We have it on record that you have.' I said, 'You are obviously in error.' She said, 'Is this your Social Security number?' I said 'Yes,' and she said, 'You better call the police.' ''

Mangla, 54, an engineer with Pactiv Advanced Packaging Solutions in Canandaigua, was lucky. He found out within hours after his wallet was lifted that others were using his name and identification for their own financial gain.

Still, the theft continues to have repercussions.

"You cannot change your Social Security number," he says. "You cannot change your driver's license number. But you have to change your (access) codes, like your mother's maiden name."

The reason for the rapid growth in identity thefts is the explosion of electronic technology, says Marc Connolly, a special agent with the Secret Service in Washington, the agency responsible for investigating identity thefts.

"More and more, the computer is becoming a tool used by individuals with criminal intent to carry out their activity," he says. "The speed and ease in which personal information can be obtained and transferred, as well as advances in technology as they relate to desktop publishing equipment used in the creation of false information, are factors."

In the days before high-tech, criminals stole identities by "dumpster diving" -- lurking around dumpsters near office buildings to retrieve paper records, such as credit card receipts, Connolly says. But now criminals are taking advantage of information that's captured and stored electronically.

Desktop publishing allows the criminal to reproduce documents and make them appear authentic. To appreciate the scope of the ramifications of the e-revolution, Connolly points out that in 1995, about one-half percent of counterfeit money was produced that way. Last year, that skyrocketed to 47 percent.

"Financial fraud related to computer intrusion is a very serious threat to our financial system," he says.

Several transactions made in the names of both Hoffman and Mangla happened in the Philadelphia area, but Connolly says the Secret Service hasn't found one city to be a hub of activity.

Rather, because of the Internet and the proliferation of computers and other technology, identity theft can be carried out anywhere. It is not uncommon for victims to find purchases charged to them from places such as the former Soviet Union and the Far East, he says.

Neither Mangla nor Hoffman have experienced such distant transactions -- at least not yet.

The thieves in Mangla's case took $200 out of his checking account via an ATM, $900 via Western Union wire, and received three different credit cards from the same global bank. They spent $3,000 on electronic merchandise and about $4,500 on clothing. They applied for credit cards from Home Depot, Best Buy, Diners Club and "all the big department stores," he said.

Even worse, they hurt his ability to refinance his mortgage.

"If you are in the process of buying a home or refinancing, this can affect the whole process, because these are considered outstanding loans," he says.

Hoffman's identity was used at an automotive retailer and to open a finance company line of credit, which was almost immediately drained.

He had about $10,000 charged against him over a three-week period. Now he frets that he was unable to change his Social Security number.

"It's a problem, because if this guy wants to come back again and start all over again, he can," he says.

Since he discovered the theft, Hoffman has taken precautions, such as writing for his credit reports every six months or so.

Mangla, who last week was contacted by the Rochester office of the Secret Service to begin an investigation of his complaint, has taken steps to prevent others from suffering his fate. He has composed an e-mail letter to his friends, relatives and fellow workers at Pactiv, explaining his situation and offering advice.

"Other than providing a report, police do little else," Mangla writes. "You are the victim, and chances are your credit can be ruined. It is up to you to make sure all areas have been covered."

What you can do: Raj Mangla, a victim of identity theft, has sent an e-mail to friends and colleagues with what he's learned through his situation. It includes the following advice: Call the Secret Service. That is the agency that tracks identity theft, not local or state police. Immediately cancel all credit cards. Close your bank account. A signature can be copied from the driver's license and forged onto a check. Change the security code on your new credit cards. If your card does not have one, add one. Call the police to get an official police report. This will protect you from liability, insurance claims and legal issues. Call all the major credit bureaus, as well as your local credit bureau. Have them flag your account and call you at home or work if any new credit-card inquiries are made. Never carry your Social Security card. And don't carry your health insurance card, if the personal ID number is the same as your Social Security card. Don't carry PINs, passwords or codes for any accounts in your wallet. To avoid/stop fraudulent activity inform these bureaus: Equifax credit 1-800-525-6285, Trans Union 1-800-680-7289, Experian (TRW) 1-888-397-3742. To get a duplicate driver's license: Motor vehicle bureau (800) 225-5368 (forms for duplicate license can be obtained from the Internet at no charge as long as you have a police report). Periodically request your credit report from all credit bureaus, to make sure it is correct. Keep a list of the contents of your wallet or purse, credit card and driver's license numbers in a safe place.