Identity theft is the fastest growing crime according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It occurs when someone takes a piece of your personal information and uses it without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft. An all-too-common example is when an identity thief uses your personal information to open a credit card account in your name, or uses an existing credit card of yours.

Did you know that someone's identity is stolen every 20 seconds?

In a recent survey by the FTC, 12.7% of American adults, or 27 million people, reported that they had become victims of some type of identity theft in the last five years. People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years -- and thousands of dollars -- cleaning up the mess the thieves have made of their good name and credit record.

Personal Identity Theft: Key Facts

* Victims now spend an average of 600 hours recovering from the crime of identity theft, often over a period of years. Three years ago the average was 175 hours of time, representing an increase of about 2470%.

* While victims are finding out about personal identity theft more quickly, it is taking far longer than ever before to clear their records and recover from the situation.

* Even after the thief stops using the information, victims struggle with the impact of identity theft. That might include increased insurance or credit card fees, inability to find a job, higher interest rates and battling collection agencies and issuers who refuse to clear records despite substantiating evidence of the crime. This "tail" may continue for more than 10 years after the crime was first discovered.

* Approximately 85% of victims found out about the theft of their identity due to an adverse situation - denied credit or employment, notification by police or collection agencies, receipt of credit cards or bills never ordered, etc. Only 15% found out through a positive action taken by a business group that verified a submitted application or a reported change of address.

Read Below for Key Steps to Protect Yourself!

The question remains, where is a person the most safe to make a purchase using a credit card? We compare online, phone, mail and in-person purchases to see where the most identity and credit card theft occurs. Then we provide you the key steps to keep your credit cards and personal identity safe.

Phone Theft: Talk is Not Cheap

Peter Reid, portfolio strategist for EDS Security and Privacy Services, says that "while consumers have learned not to divulge information such as their Social Security number and debit card number over the phone