"I stole $2.5 million, but today I could steal $25 million," Frank W. Abagnale told Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary. "The bottom line is what I did 35 years ago is so much easier to do today."

Abagnale is the one-time master scammer who wrote a best-selling autobiography, Catch Me if You Can. He has been to jail, rejected the dark side and for many years has been a security consultant. Some people must think he looks like Leonardo DiCaprio, who played him last year in a Steven Spielberg movie based on his book.

"In my career, I don't know of any crime that's easier — and easy to get away with — than identity theft," Frank W. Abagnale wrote in a recent commentary.

Here are some of the raw facts:

• Last year, 161,819 Americans were victims of identity theft, according to the Federal Trade Commission. That's nearly twice as many as the FTC heard from in 2001. Abagnale and others believe the actual number is more like a half million.

• On average, each victim spent more than 175 hours and $1,000 trying to clear his or her name, according to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

• The average arrest rate is under 5 percent of all reported cases, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.

Some of the cases are repugnant. People spend years trying to rebuild their good names. Scammers have stolen the identities of people killed in the 9/11 attacks.

But there are steps you can take make it harder for thieves. Here are highlights, provided by Abagnale, federal agencies and some private advocacy groups:

• Guard your Social Security number. "It is the key to your credit report and banking accounts and is the prime target of criminals," Abagnale writes on his Web site.

Don't put your Social Security number or driver's license number on your checks. Never give those numbers to anyone who doesn't have a good reason to know.

• Keep a close watch on bank and credit card statements. If your monthly statement doesn't arrive, the Department of Justice urges individuals to call the financial institution right away. The reason: A thief may have changed the mailing address on your account.

• Check those statements carefully for unauthorized activities.

• Shred those documents, and anything else that contains personal information, before you throw it away.

• Delete suspicious e-mail requests without replying. The ID Theft Center maintains a Scam Alert page for recent problem areas. • Don't carry extra credit cards or other important identity documents except when needed.

• Don't give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or online unless you initiate the contact or know the caller. "Thieves often pose as bank representatives, Internet service providers, government agents and the like to get you to reveal personal information," the FTC warns.

• Deposit outgoing mail directly into post office boxes, not in your own mailbox. When you go on vacation, place a hold on your mail at the post office.

CREDIT REPORTS
Everyone should check his or her credit reports regularly. In Georgia, one is entitled to free credit reports twice a year. There are three major credit reporting agencies to call:

Equifax: 1-800-685-1111
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion: 1-800-888-4213

MORE COVERAGE
• ID thieves are attacking the elderly
• Frank W. Abagnale's 14 tips
• Download ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name

ON THE WEB:
• www.consumer.gov/idtheft
The federal government's central website has information, links and worthwhile publications. The best available may be the booklet, "When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name." It can be downloaded or ordered by mail or phone.

• www.privacyrights.org
Sponsored by Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, this website has numerous resources.

• www.idtheftcenter.org
The Identity Theft Resource Center, established by an ID theft victim, focuses on victim assistance and is an information clearinghouse.

• www.stopidentitytheft.org
The Georgia Stop I.T. Network focuses on ID theft in Georgia.

• Read more Bank on Hank columns