What is even more frustrating is that the felon even called his victim to taunt him -- saying that he could continue to assume the victim's identity for as long as he wanted because identity theft was not a federal crime at that time. After which, the felon even filed for bankruptcy, also in the victim's name. Of course there are extreme measures available like shredding all official documents that contain sensitive information such as one's social security number before disposing of them in your garbage can. This is done to prevent thieves from finding this essential information in your trash. It is kind of extreme though because this scenario seems straight out of a recent Hollywood offering but it does happen and in this case, it is better to err in the side of caution than suffer the tremendous headache, confusion and gigantic problems that besiege victims of identity theft. It's called identity theft shield, an around the clock system of monitoring your credit, restoring your identity and reimbursing your costs in case your good name is stolen and used against you. And with 1 of out of every 4 Las Vegans at risk of falling victim to this rising crime, identity theft insurance may be the closest thing our society has to a cure. Just remember their job is not to make you feel better, but to help you catch the criminal. When you report identity theft to the authorities, take with you some evidence such as your credit report, statements from any accounts opened in your name without your authorization, and/or any other documentation that the crime has taken place. Postal Service calls it the "one of the fastest growing robbery crimes in America." By one industry estimate, more than 1,000 people a day in the United States fall victim to crimes of stolen identity. In 1997 the U.S. Secret Service make 9,455 arrests involving identify fraud. According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse there are over 400,000 thefts of identity each year with that result in more than $2 Billion worth of annual losses for the country. Any holder of information identifiers of social security number, credit cards, bank account number, driver s license, health care, and other financial sources is at risk. Everyone is vulnerable, offline or online. Households, telephone booths, and garbage areas are common places where criminals loiter around to look for their prey.