Warwickshire residents are being warned to be extra vigilant after a large rise in crime involving so-called identity theft.
Police analysts have highlighted an increase in crimes such as "phising" - using fake but credible e-mails and websites to deceive recipients into divulging personal data - after incidents mushroomed from 21 to 2,000 in 12 months.
Documentation theft and stealing spare wheels and number plates have also become more common, while ATM (Cashpoint) crime has seen a dramatic increase.
Police believe the analysts' report, based on intelligence taken from 43,131 criminal incidents, contains valuable indicators to tackle crime.
Chief Inspector Mike Slater, of the crime reduction unit, said: ''The public should be wary of any unusual telephone calls and emails."
People are also urged to shred unnecessary documents as even old passports can be sold on for criminal use. Pin numbers should not be kept with credit cards and regular copies of personal credit files were advisable.
