He proceeds to ask questions to update the court's records to include your Social Security number, date of birth, and correct address. He advises a credit card is required for security reasons.

If you refuse to give any information, the caller threatens to initiate legal proceedings in federal court.

According to an alert issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), this is a national scam used by thieves trying to steal personal identities.

Once volunteered, the information could be used to create fraudulent bank loans, mortgages, auto loans, and or to create a phony credit card bearing your name.

Unfortunately the fraud will adversely affect or destroy your personal credit and even worse could find you involved in criminal proceedings where you are left with having to prove "you" were not involved.

The FBI started tracking identity theft in 1993 and now rates it as one of the dominant white-collar crimes in the nation.

The Federal Trade Commission published a report in 2003 showing that 4.6 percent of the population had been victimized by identity fraud. The study revealed that nearly 10 million Americans over the age of 18 had been victimized.

In the study year, 2002, businesses lost $47.6 billion and individuals experienced $5 billion in personal losses.

A subsequent 2005 study conducted by the Better Business Bureau and Javelin Strategy and Research shows the trend continues to increase. The annual cost of identity theft rose to $56.2 billion.

Using a phone call to collect information is obviously not the only process used to collect your personal data. Last year, computer hackers breached more than 50 million credit card accounts.

Once the hackers gained access to financial institution databases, they download personal information that could then be used to fraudulently apply for credit or produce counterfeit credit cards.

Philip J. Cummings a former technical support employee for Telecommunications Data, Inc. hacked into the files of Ford Motor Credit and stole passwords to access the credit reports of individuals at Equifax, Trans Union, and Experian.

At trial in September 2004, he pled guilty to wire fraud, fraud related to identifications documents, and conspiracy to defraud financial institutions of $11 million.

Two years ago the main system computers at Georgia Tech were breached and the credit cards numbers of 57,000 patrons of the schools arts and theater program were exposed.

Last summer, Asif Masood Siddiqui a former employee of the Georgia Technology Authority was arrested and charged with computer trespass and theft for accessing and downloading the driver's license and employee records of 465,000 Georgians.

In spite of these examples of computer breaches, experts warn that most identity theft occurs with paper files.

Such sources as mail, household trash, and credit card information contribute more information for identity thieves than cyberspace.

Outside of destroying documents that may have pertinent information, adults are urged to monitor all monthly bills and credit reports to detect any fraudulent activities early before they can damage credit reports or cause legal problems.