Do Meth Addicts Want Your Identity?

June 2, 2005 -- -- If you think you're safe from identity theft because you shred documents before disposing of them, Pierce County, Wash., prosecutors have some people you should meet.

They're methamphetamine addicts, and in Pierce County, as in many other areas across the West, law enforcement officials are finding more and more evidence of what they believe is a link between meth use and identity theft.

"The thing that is somewhat unique to identity theft is that it requires an almost absurd amount of hours and focus, which methamphetamine users have in abundance," said Mark Lindquist, team chief of the drug unit with the county prosecuting attorney. "We've seen methamphetamine users putting together papers that have been through shredders."

The link has been found in as much as 90 percent of the identity theft cases being prosecuted in the county, he said.

More than a year ago, ABCNEWS.com spoke with numerous local law enforcement officials who were already seeing the link, but so far there is only anecdotal evidence. Federal lawmakers are now calling for a study to determine the extent of the problem.

Earlier this spring, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., asked the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a comprehensive national investigation of the connection between the two crimes.

"Having nationwide information and a better understanding of the growing problem will help lay the groundwork for a comprehensive solution," Cantwell said at a news conference in Seattle. "If we're going to be successful in curbing these crimes and keeping communities safe, we need a strategy to attack them at their roots."

Recently, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., signed on to Cantwell's bill.