According to JournalStar.com, the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles recently launched a new driver’s licensing system, which has led to 41 investigations into identity theft or fraud.

DMV director Beverly Neth says that the facial recognition system implemented when the system changed has been reviewing every picture in the DMV system every night, comparing former ID photos with ones taken since the system changed. Staff members are also now checking new pictures against old ones when new photos are being taken.

These changes have led to 41 investigations. “The technology we’ve installed is a powerful tool that can help combat fraud and identity theft in Nebraska,” Neth said.

For instance, the nightly system searching found one person who was using three different Social Security numbers, one belonging to a dead person. Another resulted in the DMV fraud unit contacting the person whose identity had been stolen, only to learn the identity thief had “racked up a $100,000 bill for unpaid taxes with the IRS,” Neth said.

According to Sun-Sentinel.com, identity thieves are increasingly preying on unsuspecting job seekers by stealing personal information and using it to commit identity theft.

Identity thieves use all types of scams, including fake help-wanted ads, job-search services, and resume-posting Web sites, to trick people into handing over their data.

“There are so many people out there who are desperate to find a job,” said Linda Foley, executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit watchdog group. “Unfortunately, identity thieves are taking advantage of people in these uncertain times.”

Whether you’re registering with employment agencies, responding to ads, posting resumes or surfing career sites for work, it’s important to only give out your Social Security numbers and other personal data when it’s necessary and you’re sure it’s secure.

The most common identity theft victims tend to be middle-aged married females, divorcees, or those who make more than $75,000 a year, according to a newly released survey from Nationwide Insurance.

CreditCards.com reports that the survey shows that it’s harder to bounce back financially after having your identity stolen in a bad economy. Four hundred adults, including 200 identity theft victims, were polled, and said that they didn’t know if they had enough money to recover from credit or debit card fraud. Ten percent of identity theft victims said they missed payments as a result of identity theft, and four out of five of those victims reported they also experienced lower credit scores, bankruptcy, repossession, foreclosure, or jail time. Victims also relayed additional difficulties resulting from identity theft, including family problems and time missed at work.

According to Tampa Bay Online, the Postal Inspection Service (PIS) caught a postal worker stealing mail after 60 customers on her mail route complained of stolen and opened mail.

Amanda Turner failed a “test” set up by the PIS, in which investigators sent out a mailing that included an envelope with a Target gift card. Turner took the bait, and stole the gift card. She confessed to stealing the Target gift card and other gift cards, and was sentenced to three years of probation on a charge of theft of mail by a postal employee.

According to 10Connects.com, hackers stole a Facebook user’s online password and his identity. They changed his Facebook page to say he was in trouble and then asked his friends for money.

“One of the very best ways to steal online–is to impersonate someone else,” says Marc Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
Rotenberg says call anyone who asks for money before sending it. And to keep from being a victim, there are a lot of things you should never post on your Facebook page.

“Social security number, credit card numbers, financial information, even very personal secrets. They don’t belong there,” he says.