Identity theft is not the first thing on people’s minds when talking about crime. Yet in this modern age with technology being the forefront of communication, it has become one of the most well-known crimes in America.

What’s even more disturbing is the fact that

identity theft

seems to be becoming more complex over the past few years. Identity thieves are becoming smarter, more creative and more audacious than ever in their exploits.

To put things into perspective, here are

two

shocking facts about identity theft:

1. On Average, there is one incident of identity fraud every 3 seconds.

The speed at which thieves are perpetrating identity theft and the number of victims affected has grown significantly. In fact, reported cases of identity theft have increased by one million in just the past year alone. This means that in the time it takes you to read this sentence, there will be at least one new victim of fraud.

2. More than 1.5 million victims know the thief.

What’s worse is that the majority of identity theft victims know their perpetrator! According to the 2013 Javelin Strategy & Research Report, there are more than 1.5 million consumers who were victims of familiar fraud, or cases wherein the victims know the fraudster. Here is just another example of how crucial it is to be careful of the company you keep!

If you think identity-related crimes are still the stuff that Hollywood movies are made of, think again. It’s very real and it’s happening right now. While the government does everything it can to help us keep identity thieves at bay, it’s up to us to protect our identities from anyone. Proper web browsing habits, securing personal items properly and enrolling in

credit monitoring

 are our best bets in stopping identity criminals.