PORTLAND (AP) – Maine is among the states with the lowest rates of identity theft, but authorities say residents should avoid complacency and take steps to protect their credit card and Social Security numbers and other personal information.

“You’re starting to see this spread into Maine,” Portland Police Chief Michael Chitwood said Tuesday. “All of a sudden we’re starting to get phone calls. Even though the numbers are low, it’s a crime we never had to deal with.”

In announcing his department’s crime prevention program, “Protecting Your Good Name,” Chitwood advised Mainers to make sure to shred bank records and other financial information to make sure it doesn’t get into the wrong hands.

He also suggested that computer users upgrade their virus protection and be aware of new scams that unfold all the time.

Maine authorities received 424 complaints of identity theft in 2004, 42 of them in Portland. There were 246,000 reports nationally.

Only North Dakota and South Dakota have lower rates of identity theft than Maine, which recorded 32.2 incidents per 100,000 residents, according to the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse, an arm of the Federal Trade Commission. Arizona had the most, with 142.5 incidents per 100,000 people.

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