PENSACOLA - The Better Business Bureau says the average identity theft victim will spend 300 hours fixing credit damage.

Despite the enormous inconvenience, lost productivity, and stolen goods acknowledged by crime and consumer agencies, there isn't much Law Enforcement can do to stop the growing trend.

For proof, look no further than Pensacola attorney Terrie Didier. She was a cautious steward of her own dollars before she became a victim of identity theft. Didier monitored her statements and even refused to purchase anything over the internet. But it happened anyway.

"If you talk to my kids they were just floored that I was the victim of identity theft," says Didier.

The first indication of a problem was when Didier heard from Apple that they couldn't approve her request for credit. The problem was, Didier never asked for credit from the company. In the coming months, Didier would find dozens of new charges appearing not only on cards she never requested, but also on accounts she already had open.

"I hated to go home and check the mail," said Didier, "because I knew there was always something in the mail that I would have to deal with."

Didier began filing police reports on every suspicious charge she found, a move applauded by consumer agencies like the Better Business Bureau.

"If they're running up additional charges in your name or they're opening up new accounts in your name you need to have that police report to show to them and say this isn't me," says Karen Szulczewski of the Pensacola office.

You'll need those police reports to help back-up your claims of fraudulent use when you report problems to creditors, but unfortunately, in many cases the Escambia County Sheriff's Office says there isn't much else they can do to help.

Because of the dramatic increase in identity theft crimes (this year Florida raised to third among states for per capita ID theft crimes), there simply aren't enough investigators to look into each report. Ted Roy of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office says nearly 100 cases are reported every month.

Of those 100 cases very few have a chance of being solved. Offenders are often difficult to track down and it's sometimes impossible to prove who actually made the charge.

In Didier's case the thief racked up over $30,000 worth of debt. Thankfully Didier wasn't responsible for the damage but she did spend a minimum of 15 hours a week on the phone trying to straighten out the mess. And the perpetrator in her case has never been arrested.

"There really is no help anywhere. There really isn't. There isn't a central agency doing anything about it," said Didier, who found her ID thief using her information in dozens of different jurisdictions, all of which she had to coordinate with to get her charges resolved.

Both the Daphne and the Destin/Ft. Walton area are reported to be in the Top 100 cities for per capita crime. And it appears the problem may continue to get worse in all areas. In-Depth Look Into Identity Theft