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Most 1950s science fiction films are, let's face it, pretty cheesy. In The Blob, a jello-mold creature absorbs a town. In Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, a very tall woman (in the days before the WNBA) attacks a town. And in Rocket Ship X-M, Lloyd Bridges attempts to seduce every woman in an intergalactic town. But perhaps the worst science fiction movie of all time, and a contender for the worst movie of all time, was Plan 9 from Outer Space, where extraterrestrials team up with vampires to (you guessed it) oppress a small town.

An exception to this lame fare was 1956's Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Unlike the others, Body Snatchers did not rely on rubber monsters or flying saucers dangling on strings. Instead, it played on the basic fear of having our identity, our "self," stolen. In doing so, it hit on a theme as old as Faust and as contemporary as yesterday's "evil twin" storyline on Days of Our Lives.

The hero in Body Snatchers is Dr. Miles Bennell, the only doctor in a small American town. After returning from a vacation, he discovers that some of the townspeople, despite appearing normal in every other respect, are emotionless and somehow lacking what makes them human.

Eventually, Miles discovers the truth—that plant-like pods from outer space have fallen to earth. One by one, the pods have duplicated the appearance of the townspeople as they slept and taken over their identities. Who is human, and who is not? Who can be trusted? Before long, Miles is the only human left in town.

Miles finally escapes and is taken to a hospital, where he is thought to be insane. The movie ends with his telephone call to the FBI. The question of whether his story will be believed by the "authorities" is never truly answered.

ID Thieves—the "Pod People" of the Information Age

Does such a plot sound like pure fiction?

Ask Ross Perot, Warren Buffett, Ted Turner, David Geffen, Tony Gwynn, George Lucas or Oprah Winfrey. They are among the victims of a new breed of criminal called the Identity Thief. The

ID Thief is not out to steal your car, your jewelry or your cash.

He is out to steal you.

The ID Thief operates by assimilating enough of your personal identifying information to convince banks, merchants and creditors that he is you.

Where does the ID Thief get this information?

Think through your typical day.

You write a check to the grocery store. You call home on your cell phone. You charge a video rental. You pay bills, apply for a new credit card or mail your tax return.

Each of these transactions requires you to disclose information about yourself—your name, your address, your telephone numbers, your driver's license number, your date of birth, your income or your social security number. This information can be collected by pick-pockets, mail thieves, phone scam artists, ex-spouses, neighbors or the dishonest employee of any business you have transacted with (or are employed by).

It can be purchased on the Internet for less than $50.

It may even be found in your trash can by a "dumpster diver" if you fail to shred your records (although having two kids in diapers at home is a potent deterrent).

When an ID Thief obtains your personal information, he can put it to work in two ways. First, he can use your existing accounts to purchase goods or get cash. He can keep you from finding out he has done this by changing the billing address on these accounts or bank statements. From then on, the bills and statements will come to an address other than yours (where they will be politely ignored).

Secondly, the ID Thief can use your personal information to open entirely new accounts—as you, of course. Typically, these will be new credit cards.

However, the only limits are the ID Thief's creativity and nerve.

For example, ID Thieves have been known to finance purchases as small as a cheap diamond ring and as large as a decked-out Lincoln Navigator. Truly inventive ID Thieves have used the personal information of others to apply for jobs, avoid criminal prosecution or even file bankruptcy.

How to avoid getting duplicated

In Body Snatchers, the townspeople's identities were stolen while they slept and their guards were down. As with the movie, there is no substitute for keeping a watchful eye open in real life. The Federal Trade Commission (which gets about 73,000 reports of ID theft each year) makes the following recommendations:

• Pay attention to the billing cycles of your accounts. If your September/October bill or bank statement does not arrive on time, it could mean that an ID Thief has taken over your account and changed the address to cover his tracks.
• Guard your mail. Do not let sensitive outgoing mail sit unattended. It is safest to deposit payments and other correspondence that contains personal identifying information in a post office collection box. Hold incoming mail while on vacation.
• Do not reveal any personal identifying information without knowing exactly how it will be used and whether it will be kept confidential. Never reveal it on the telephone.
• Watch your social security number! Do not carry your card in your wallet or use your number as an identifier (e.g., on a driver's license) except where absolutely necessary.
• Check your credit report from the three major reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and Trans Union) at least once a year. Make sure they include only your actual accounts and are otherwise accurate.
• Shred your sensitive documents before throwing them away.

Stay vigilant

Staying ahead of ID theft requires you to be proactive. Follow the tips we've listed above. If you believe you're a victim of fraud or identity theft, use one of the resources below to help you solve any issues.

Resources:

FTC Identity Theft Hotline:

1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338)

Identity Theft Clearinghouse:

Federal Trade Commission,

600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW,

Washington, DC 20580,

or online:

www.consumer.gov/idtheft

Credit Reporting Agencies:

Equifax

• Report fraud: 800-525-6285
• Order copy of report ($8): P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 or call: 800-685-1111
• Dispute information in report: P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374-0256, Experian

Experian

• Report fraud: 888-397-3742, Fax: 800-301-7196, Mail: Experian Consumer Fraud Assistance, P.O. Box 1017, Allen, TX 75013
• Order copy of report (1 free report per year): P.O. Box 8030, Layton, UT 84041, or call: 800-682-7654

Trans Union

• Dispute information in report: Contact Trans Union at address and phone number provided on your credit report Trans Union
• Report fraud: 800-680-7289
• Order copy of report ($8): P.O. Box 390 Springfield, PA 19064 or call: 800-888-4213
• Dispute information in report: Call number provided on credit report or use "investigation request form" provided by Trans Union when you order your report.

Download our free, step-by-step guide on how to dispute your credit report the right way.