Police across the country are seeing a link between identify theft and methamphetamine addiction, MSNBC reported March 9.

According to law-enforcement officials, meth users are stealing mail from people's mailboxes to trade for the drug or earn money to buy drugs. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission said 10 million consumers were victims of ID theft. Police officials said in many ID-theft rings, the criminals are meth addicts.

"ID theft is so easy to do," said Detective Jim Dunn of the Thurston County Sheriff's office in Washington. "They can steal mail. They have the time, meth keeps them up so long. They have the time to sit and make counterfeit checks, fake driver's licenses."

According to police detective Steve Williams in Eugene, Ore., "90 percent of our ID-theft cases deal with drugs."

Williams added, "You don't see a lot of meth users robbing banks. You see someone on heroin do that. Meth users are less likely to get themselves shot. Plus, they can make more money in a fraud crime than they can sticking a gun in someone's face. If you bring a gun in a bank, you can face life in prison. Or you can write a series of bad checks and score 10 times that amount and get parole."

The link between meth and identity theft is garnering nationwide attention. During last summer's congressional hearings on the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Evan Hendricks of The Privacy Times testified before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee about meth and ID theft rings in the Phoenix, Ariz., area.

"They have their own terminology. They don't work, they live in hotel rooms and stolen vehicles; they keep late hours. They love to gamble," Hendricks said. "Someone will know someone who will trade drugs for Social Security numbers."

Because the problem is overwhelming local police departments, authorities are pleading for more federal assistance.

"What is the federal government doing?" questioned Detective Joe DeJournette of Yakima, Wash. "What will help the little towns across the country with our one fraud detective, to fight these crimes?"