Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series examining identity theft in DeKalb.

Identity theft is on the rise in Illinois and most victims may not be aware of how it happens.

For Helen Fritts, a graduate physical therapy major, the realization came when her Visa card would not be accepted to purchase groceries two years ago.

Upon calling the credit card company, she discovered someone used her card number to purchase more than $2,000 worth of hardware in Malaysia.

Identity thefts have significantly increased over the last few years, DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said.

“A lot of ID theft victims don’t know they’ve been victimized until two, three years later when they run a credit check,” Scott said.

DeKalb County Sheriff Department had 20 reported cases of identity theft in 2004, up from 12 in 2003.

Residents of Illinois and several other midwestern states can get a free annual copy of their credit report because of a new federal law.

Students should get a report every four months to make sure no one has obtained their information, said Lynn Richards, assistant director of Students’ Legal Assistance.

Scott said identity thefts are not always performed by someone with great technological knowledge. 10 to 15 percent of the cases were performed by a friend or a relative.

Lt. Jim Kayes of the DeKalb Police Department said identity theft is going to get worse than it is now.

“In the last year we’ve caught people manufacturing Social Security cards and green cards in DeKalb,” Kayes said.

Kayes said some people use Social Security numbers to open accounts and because they have a bad credit rating.Kayes said Social Security numbers are also used for illegal employment.

“Because of the number of illegal aliens in this country, a Social Security number is a valuable commodity,” Kayes said.

Another kind of ID theft occurs when people open a charge account in someone else’s name and try to redirect the mail to their address.

“They start ordering stuff, have it delivered and approach the driver before they get there,” Kayes said.