Identity theft crimes, on the rise nationally, have also become problematic locally, the State College Police Department said.

Officer Tony Lopinsky said the department is investigating more than 50 cases.

"It's very serious," he said.

"We get calls all the time," Lopinsky added.

Identity theft crimes can range from secretly taking over credit card accounts and opening new accounts in the victim's name to establishing phone or wireless service and bank accounts in the victim's name.

Sen. Jake Corman, R-Bellefonte, called identity theft "the fastest growing white-collar crime in the nation" in a January press release.

Lopinsky said "dumpster-diving" is a major factor in identity theft, as thieves sometimes take garbage containing items with personal information, such as credit card applications.

Lopinsky and Penn State Police Services Supervisor Clifford Lutz stressed the need to shred or tear up garbage with personal information.

"It's one of the best investments anyone can make," Lutz said.

"All my junk mail goes through the shredder," he said.

Those who think they may be victims of identity theft should not hesitate to contact the police, Lopinsky added.

"If we don't know about it, we can't help," he said.

Lopinsky created a Web page on the State College police's Web site with prevention tips and types of identity theft crimes, as well as alerts to new types of crimes.

"Someone always comes up with something new," he said.

The latest alert, posted Thursday, involved an e-mail scam that feigns a message from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in an attempt to get personal information from taxpayers through e-mail.

State College police say the IRS does not conduct audits through e-mail.

Banks are another institution that can become the target of identity thieves.

Nittany Bank Vice President Ginny McAdoo said the bank does not share information with any third parties and shreds all papers with personal information.

"Our job has always been to guard confidentiality," McAdoo said.

Lutz said some of the identity theft issues that come up on the Penn State campus include submitting false applications for credit cards, using other people's credit cards, and assuming another's identity through the computer.

That can include attempting to change grades and submitting or deleting coursework.

However, Lutz added that he thinks college students are less susceptible to identity fraud than older people because they grew up with computers and newer technology and know the risks.

Lopinsky said that people need to monitor their credit card information by obtaining reports at least once per year.

There are three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Trans Union, and Lopinsky said that it is worth the small fee to receive a report from each.