Even in small townAmericana people are not safe from the reach of identity thieves. How well do you know your neighvor or the clerk at the grocery store?

 Karina Karla Martinez, 36, of Rexburg, was arrested on a charge of forgery and other charges pending, Rexburg police said Thursday.

 The department saysMartinezpassed fraudulent checks under other people’s identities. Police say their cases date back to 2007 whenMartinezopened up checking accounts under false names and passed fraudulent checks throughout the area.

Police say they are aware of 15 such checks being passed in 2011.

 Kent Chalmers, a resource officer forMadisonJunior High School, was handling a case that dealt with a fraudulent check the school received for a student and was able to identify the suspect and make the arrest, according to a news release.

Police say they recovered fake ID cards that came from other states, as well as questionable Social Security cards and checks.

 Rexburg is a small community located in eastIdaho. It is also home to BYU Idaho, aLDSUniversity, where the crime rate is low. Even so, it still cannot escape the growing problem of identity theft.  Statistical information, provide by poodwaddle.com where live statistical data can be viewed,  shows there are over 78,000 reports of identity theft daily. Keep in mind, these are only the reported cases of identity theft.

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