The NYTimes on Identity Theft

This is spooky stuff. Apparently, Arizona is ground-zero for this type of crime:

... Several factors converge to make Arizona a hot spot for identity theft. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, is one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation, according to the Census Bureau, and its growth exaggerates trends that exist in many communities: a mobile population and high numbers of immigrants and retirees. It also has a heavy traffic in methamphetamine.

Methamphetamine users, whose binges keep them up for days in a row, have the time to sort through trash or old mail for Social Security numbers, bank account numbers or other identifying information, said Andrew P. Thomas, the county attorney. Dealers trade drugs for stolen identities that they use to launder their profits. Nearly half the identity theft cases in Mr. Thomas's office have a connection to methamphetamine, he said.

At the same time, he added, "More than half of the illegal immigrants entering the U.S. come through Arizona," creating a market for fraudulent Social Security numbers and driver's licenses.

... The newest wave of thefts here involves copying the magnetic strip from a victim's credit card onto the back of another. When thieves use the doctored cards, the transactions are charged to their victims' accounts. "Even if the cashier asks for my driver's license, the name on the front is going to match," said Todd C. Lawson, an assistant attorney general in Phoenix who specializes in identity theft prosecutions.

The machine to copy the magnetic strip, Mr. Lawson added, is the one nearly every hotel in America uses to recode room key cards.

We carefully check and print out our credit reports regularly, it takes less than 10 minutes. By law, each year you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report from each of the THREE major credit bureaus. I advise you take advantage of this and rotate them: get a free credit report once every four months from one of the three bureas. This allows you to regularly check if any accounts have been opened in YOUR NAME. You are letting 4 months pass by in between, but at least you are checking with some regularity. Remember, the main thing to worry about is someone opening an account in your name, without your knowledge.

Here is the link to the annual credit report site from the FTC.