Each year, there are around 133,000 Kiwis who have their identities stolen according to police.
It’s a crime that's often difficult to solve and costs the economy more than $200 million year.
Mukul Kohli knows all about security as he owns a shop which needs protection and runs a company hiring out security guards.
But he couldn’t protect himself against a thief out to steal his identity.
Mr Kohli knew something was wrong when he received a text about a bank transaction he didn't make.
His phone then stopped working after someone posing as him said they'd lost their phone and got a new Sim card for the phone.
He attempted to log into his bank accounts but the passwords had been changed.
But Mr Kohli is not the only person it's happened to. His colleague lost thousands when his Gmail account and online banking was hacked.
Story investigates and speaks to Vodafone, ANZ bank and police to give you security tips and how you can help prevent this from happening to you.
Watch the video for the full Story report.
