Credit cards: Costly or convenient?

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - For more information on identity theft and to find the number of identity theft cases that occurred in your neighborhood check out the database posted below.

Credit cards are convenient, handy and we rely on them, until they're stolen.

"I found out that somebody had charged over $9,000 in airline tickets one way from Rome on a credit card that I had safely in my wallet," said Denise Richardson.

She keeps the paperwork detailing the work she had to do after someone got her credit card number. She doesn't know how it happened.

"It cost me a lot emotionally it cost me a lot of frustrating time," she said.

She's not alone. NewsChannel 5 and the Scripps Howard News Service found in our area in the past five years stolen credit card numbers were the leading cause of identity theft.

"The criminals have figured out this is an easy way to make money," said Anne Wallace, president of the Identity Theft Assistance Center.

Unfortunately for Denise she was a victim a second time when someone obtained her Social Security number. With that, the thief tried to open a Comcast cable account and a separate credit card.

"She has my Social Secuirty number and my birthdate and opened up this credit card from First Premier Bank," she said.

"Nowadays crooks can sit half way around the world in front of a computer, not have any physical risk associated with robbing a bank or holding somebody up but get access to their money," said Wallace.

Once they get the Social Security numbers, thieves are stealing even more.

"We know there are certain issues with tax refund fraud where thieves either steal tax refunds and try to cash them or pose as taxpayers to try to get legitimate taxpayer refunds," said Steven Toporoff, with the Federal Trade Commission's division of privacy and identity protection.

In fact, using Social Security numbers to steal a person's tax refund or paycheck is the third most common form of identity theft in our area.

In Richardson's case she was able to prevent them from stealing her money, but they'll always have her ID.

"I never know when I'm going to get a phone call, when I'm going to find someone else is using my Social because it's out there and I can't get it back," said Richardson. "It's the feeling of violation."

So what can you do to prevent your identity from being stolen?
Experts suggest you:

- review your monthly financial statements;
- check your credit reports every year;
- check your annual earning statements from the social security administration.