GLASGOW — Several hundred local employees have lost their jobs recently and are struggling to find work and provide for their families. Now they have another concern.

Criminals have found new victims they can prey upon – job searchers.

The sharp downturn in the economy has left many industries no alternative but to lay off employees who are now looking for other jobs. Many may be willing to try anything to find work.

“Career search Web sites and alternative work-from-home opportunities have great appeal when desperation hits; however, scrambling for any chance they can find has left many at risk for even more hardship when they reveal personal information to waiting criminals,” said Christina Galloway, a public relations coordinator for LifeLock, a company that protects clients from identity theft. “According to news reports, identity theft rings seem to be springing up across the country and job-related scams are only one of the latest tactics they are using to exploit their victims.”

Job seekers are being targeted because of the economy and layoffs, said Tami Nealy, a certified identity theft risk management specialist and director of public affairs for LifeLock. “More individuals are applying for a smaller pool of jobs.”

Problems begin when job seekers post personal information on unsecured Web sites or give it to large corporations that don’t secure it properly, she said. A resume has a great deal of personal information and thieves can get enough with just a few pieces from it to steal a person’s identity.

“They can do a lot with your name, address and date of birth,” Nealy said. “The Social Security number is the key to the kingdom.”

Criminals are targeting career Web sites and large businesses that receive thousands of applications. Job applicants need to question what happens to their application no matter what occurs with a job, Nealy said.

“Thieves are smart. They know where to go to look for information,” she said. “There’s so many different scams out there we may not even know about them.”

Nealy offered some tips consumers can follow to protect their information. Be proactive. When online, look for secure sites with page names containing “https,” which indicates a secure site. Always use the actual known Web addresses for a company, don’t just click on a link.

Beware of spoofing Web sites where thieves mimic legitimate businesses and “phishing,” were the criminals send out mass e-mails seeking responses.

Pay close attention to bank statements. When using ATM machines, credit card swipes at gas pumps, etc. always check to see if the machine looks as if it has been tampered with. Crooks can use devices called “skimmers” to capture a person’s information to make a duplicate card.

Request credit reports annually from the three credit agencies, Experian, Equifax and Transunion. And have the agency place fraud alerts on account.

The Glasgow Police Department gets several reports each month on scams and ID theft, mostly dealing with checks, said Captain Kent Keen, public information officer.

“The FBI has seen an increase in employment-related scams in recent months. The con artists are using scams ranging from fake employment offers to obtain a victim’s personal information for identity theft purposes to work-at-home scams. Fortunately, there have been no complaints of these locally in the Bowling Green office, but everyone should remain vigilant against these scam artists to avoid being defrauded,” said James N. Hendricks, supervisory senior resident agent with the Bowling Green office of the FBI.

ID theft increasing is increasing. The Federal Trade Commission releases an annual report on identity theft each February. In 2007, 26 percent of ID theft reported to the FTC from Kentucky involved credit cards. State residents spent $6.7 million to fix ID theft and fraud problems that same year. There were 8,000 complaints filed and 8.3 million people affected.

“We know the numbers are under reported,” Nealy said.

Credit cards are too easy to apply for and get and there aren’t multiple levels of authentication, she said.

“We have to educate people.”