As if you needed something else to worry about, it turns out that crooks are trying to steal your identity.

"There are so many people out there who are desperate to find a job," said Linda Foley, executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a non-profit watchdog group based in San Diego. "Unfortunately, identity thieves are taking advantage of people in these uncertain times."

A poor credit report can hurt your chances of getting a job. How fair is that! You don't have a job so your credit suffers, then you can't get a job because you have bad credit. Now you have the additional worry of some jerk stealing what's left of your credit rating. Great. You can't expect these people to have any scruples, but it would be nice if they would not target people who are already in a world of hurt.

I strongly recommend getting one of those free trials of a service that monitors your identity. It was amazing -- and a little disconcerting -- to me to see what they can pull about you, but it's also reassuring to know that you are who you think you are in the Big Computer in the Sky.

Remember that information is power and protect yours! When is the last time you checked your credit reports, anyway?