With the once-plentiful flow of credit now a trickle, you have to be triply aware, because identity thieves and other scoundrels hope to use what credit is flowing for themselves.

"Stolen credit card numbers top the statistics," said Scott Stevenson, president of Eliminate ID Theft, a service that offers identity restoration.

It's physically easy to create a credit card, just a number in plastic with your name on it. Or you can do it virtually, using the number by phone or online. "There are lots of ways to purchase goods and services without having the plastic," he said.

And scams like phishing and vishing make vigilance a must. Phishers send plausible-looking e-mails asking you to click a link and provide identifying information so they know it's you in order to solve a problem, like a bank account freeze. Vishers call you to dupe you, perhaps by pretending to be the fraud department of your credit card company and asking if you've been splurging in Italy lately — guaranteed to make the pulse race and perhaps loosen your tongue.

Helpful vishers may even give you a toll-free number to call them back. And they have enough information about you so you think you're talking to someone legit by the time they ask you to verify the three-digit security number on the back of your card.

They make you prove yourself to them, Stevenson said, when they should be having to prove to you they are who they claim.

Even if you realize you've been tricked, once you provide the information, it's too late. So don't give any information to someone on an unsolicited phone call. Go online yourself and find the fraud department's number to call back. And type carefully. Don't accidentally Google Bank of Americas, Stevenson says. Creeps may have taken the look-alike, typo-prone choices.

Stevenson also advises people to:

 Pay attention when you give your credit card to a waiter or clerk, because it doesn't take much to copy the name or number. If you can pay at the register, do it.

 Shred your receipts, because some retailers provide the entire number, although they're not supposed to.

 Destroy old credit cards and only carry those you need. You don't need eight at the pool. If you're going on a trip abroad, leave the department store card home.

 Monitor your credit — and pay attention to whether your address changes in the file. Thieves may try to divert your mail, and you may not notice it for a while.

 Watch for little charges on your statement. "Criminals will try to use one for a small purchase to see if it goes through. If you don't catch an $8 charge, you might not notice an $800 one," he said. "Criminals are creative. And they get more and more creative as systems get more secure."

E-mail: lois@desnews.com