More and more consumers are falling victim to phishing scams and identify theft.

A leading information technology firm posted the results of a survey last month that showed phishing attacks escalated in 2007 and more than $3 billion were lost to these attacks. The survey found that 3.6 million adults lost $3.2 billion in the 12 months ending in August. That’s nearly $1,000 per person.

‘‘Phishing is an illegal attempt to obtain an individual’s personal identity information and financial account credentials,” said John Toth, a lead technician for Bethesda’s Help Desk. ‘‘It’s done primarily through ‘spoof e-mails’ that lead to counterfeit Web sites, but can also be done over the telephone.”

He said phishing scams are designed to catch the victim off guard and make them react before they have thought things through.

‘‘A victim of phishing will receive an e-mail indicating that something has happened with one of their accounts, such as their debit card is temporarily frozen or their PayPal account has been compromised,” Toth said. When they click on the e-mail’s link to correct the problem, they’re led to a counterfeit Web site that appears to be legitimate. The victim is asked to re-enter their personal information, he said.

‘‘The information goes straight to the phisher, who uses it to open other accounts and steal the individual’s identity,” he said.

‘‘Phishing can also take place over the telephone. Victims will get a phone call from a phisher who claims to be a representative from their financial institution or another organization they do business with,” said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Montoya, Bethesda’s chief information officer. ‘‘The phisher attempts to gain the same personal information under the guise of updating their records, validating enrollment or correcting discrepancies.”

The emotional toll and financial damage to consumers have captured headlines in newspapers. The scam’s heavy burden on the economy, however, has lead to federal government involvement.

President George W. Bush called for a uniform and coordinated effort among government agencies to combat the crimes. On May 10, 2006, the president’s established the Task Force on Identity Theft.

‘‘Information Technology Security Specialists, who work tirelessly to counter the scams, admit that it’s difficult keeping ahead of phishers,” said Lt. Cmdr. Tony Thornton, an information systems officer who will succeed Montoya as Bethesda’s chief information officer. ‘‘When law enforcement or software [developers] come up with a solution or a measure of prevention, the phishers work harder to battle the advancements.”

Thornton said no one should divulge personal information over the telephone without verifying the caller.

‘‘When in doubt, hang up and call the organization yourself on their listed phone number,” Thornton said. ‘‘Most legitimate financial companies and agencies are aware of these scams and have security measures in place to protect their customers. They would never call a customer and ask for personal information over the phone.”

Navy Surgeon General Vice Adm. Adam Robinson, Jr., said a scam can happen to anyone at any time. No one is safe. Robinson was victim of identity theft in 2005.

‘‘I was shocked. I was absolutely shocked,” he said. ‘‘It’s the last thing I ever thought would happen to me.”

When he learned a debit card had been taken out in his name and someone was running up charges on it, he said he couldn’t believe it.

‘‘Check your credit report regularly and check your statements very closely,” he said. ‘‘Sometimes, these people will just start out making small purchases in the beginning that you might easily overlook.”

‘‘In these days of high technology, bank robbers don’t need masks and guns,” Montoya said. ‘‘They don’t even need banks. All they need is unsuspecting consumers. Don’t get caught.”