Here are some simple steps that every business should take to help protect their employees from identity theft.

Lock it up. HR files should be stored in secure offices in locked cabinets. If the HR manager is not in his or her office the door should be closed and locked. This includes when he or she is out at lunch or in a meeting.

Clean desk policy. Every company should have a clean desk policy before an employee leaves for the day. Information carlessly left on a desk is easily stolen.

Mask social security numbers. Never list a full social security on company correspondence or for the purpose of identification. This includes pay stubs and health care.

Use it then Shred it. After you have used a document that has personal information on it then put it in your shredding bin. Don't have one? Get one free at Shred Nations.

At age 17, prosecutors say, Green-Bressler found a different use for those skills. He became an online identity thief, and this spring pleaded guilty to theft and to helping to commit fraud and computer tampering .

For 2 1/2 years, prosecutors say, he and 16 other Tucsonans bought 4,500 stolen ATM card numbers on the Internet and used them to create fake cards and withdraw more than $1 million from ATMs.

Since June 2005, there have been at least 29 known cases of misplaced or stolen laptops with data such as Social Security numbers, health records and addresses of millions of people, according to the Privacy Rights Clearing House, a San Diego-based nonprofit that tracks data thefts.

Security experts and some privacy groups say simple measures could protect data if a laptop falls into nefarious hands. They include encrypting the information so it's nearly impossible to access without the correct credentials.