The situation is a familiar one.

You receive a phone call from someone at the Internal Revenue Service, which your caller ID confirms, claiming that if your back taxes aren't paid, you'll be going to jail.Maybe it's a call from someone claiming to be a family member who is on vacation in a foreign country and needs money wired immediately.In both cases, someone is trying to steal your identity.Identity theft was the topic of the Feb. 19 Jim Thorpe Community Watch meeting at Phoenix Fire Company along West Broadway.Around 25 residents turned out to hear the presentation by Janene Holter, of the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.The statistics, according to Holter, are staggering.In 2013 alone, the number of identity theft victims jumped from 500,000 consumers to 13.1 million."People are reporting it more and more," Holter said. "In the past, people have been embarrassed by it. It's not something to be embarrassed about. If you think you have been targeted or victimized, call an agency like the local police, the district attorney's office, the Federal Trade Commission or the Attorney General's Office."With the deadline for filing taxes less than two months away, IRS calls are one of the hottest opportunities for scammers.Holter, however, warned that the IRS will never call you to try to collect back taxes; instead they will send something in the mail."Even if your caller ID tells you the call is coming from the IRS, it isn't," she said. "There are programs out there that people can use to make a call look like it's coming from anywhere, even official organizations."As the average American carries 12 credit cards with them, it's no surprise that credit card theft is on the rise.Some tips from Holter include canceling any credit card account you haven't used for 6 or more months."If you're not using them, you're probably not looking at the statements when they come in the mail and you wouldn't even know if someone was making charges on that account," she said.Holter's job puts her in contact every day with victims who are sometimes reluctant to admit they have been duped.In one example, she spoke of a presentation in Williamsport where she encountered an elderly man who has given $80,000 since January to someone claiming to be from FedEx."The supposed FedEx individual was going to be bringing this man a $2 million check, but kept making excuses like there were weather delays and other things," Holter said. "I still think part of that elderly man thinks he will be getting $2 million. It's hard to believe, but this stuff happens."Money from identity theft scams often doesn't end up with someone harmless. In fact, Holter said the money is often used to fund terrorism and has ties to organized crime.There are many ways to try to ward off scammers and those hoping to glean personal information.Some tips offered by Holter Thursday included:• Keep personal data private• Watch how much personal and private information you put on social networking pages• Ask banks to use two identification questions before releasing any account information• Be proactive and watch your data by checking your bank statements and online accounts• Take data breaches seriously, even question a dollar charge that shouldn't be there.• Don't use your whole Social Security number for authorization."A lot of times, you'll have to give your entire Social Security number at a doctor's office," Holter said. "Don't do it until you're in a private room. You don't know who is in the waiting room anxious to jot that number down as you tell the nurse."Identity theft is no stranger to this area.For example, in April 2014 a Slatedale woman was placed on probation for a year and ordered to complete 50 hours of community service after using an area resident's information to open an account with a satellite television network and charging the bill to the victim.In that case, the victim was a family member of the accused, a situation Holter said is all too common."Over half of the time it is a family member or in-home service provider," she said. "The weather is going to get nicer and if you have anyone over to the house to do work, make sure you watch them the whole time. It only takes someone around three minutes to go through and get all of your information."Thursday's meeting was the first of 2015 for Jim Thorpe Community Watch.In a new twist this year, meetings are being moved to different locations around Jim Thorpe to give residents on every end of town a chance to be involved."It's been received really well," said Mayor Michael Sofranko. "Law enforcement around the country has been heavily criticized as of late and I'm proud to say that hasn't happened here in Jim Thorpe. I think Community Watch has really helped open that dialogue."