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ALBANY, GA --
Officials say identity fraud is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country.

Georgia is ranked by the Federal Trade Commission as the 2nd highest state with complaints of identity fraud and Albany is ranked as #14 on the list of metropolitan cities with the most complaints.

District Attorney Greg Edwards said one of the most common types of identity fraud is called “dumpster diving.” This means people going through your trash to find things such as your social security number, credit card information, and bank account information. Edwards said one way to prevent this is buying a shredder to shred all documents with private information enclosed.

Tammy Nealy, with LifeLock, said residents also need to be cautious of how much information they put on the internet. She said with the increasing use of the internet, it’s easier than you think for people to access the information you put out there.

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