DENVER -- A Colorado woman is $85,000 poorer after she was the victim of an identity theft after she responded to an e-mail that claimed to come from her bank.

The New Castle, Colo., woman told the Garfield County Sheriff's Office that she got the e-mail from someone she thought represented her bank, asking for her bank account number, credit card number and the three confirmation numbers on the back of her credit card.

Shortly after, charges starting coming from Glenwood Springs to San Diego, according to Lou Vallario, Garfield County sheriff.

Vallario calls identity theft the "No. 1 growing crime in America."

He said the bank and credit card company will likely bear the brunt of the financial loss, but it's a warning for others who might be thinking about giving out personal financial information over the Internet.

Protect Yourself From Identity Theft Are You Vulnerable? CREDIT REPORTS Transunion Experian Equifax RESOURCES CO Attorney General FTC Social Security Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Victims Guide Resource Center Dept. Of Justice

Although the sheriff has no suspects, his deputies continue to investigate the case and will be working with bank investigators to identify the thief.

Nationwide, identity theft and credit card fraud touched nearly 10 million Americans in 2002 and cost victims $5 billion, according to the FTC.

The survey found one in 20 adult Americans had been victimized by some form of identity theft, with an average loss of $500 and 30 hours spent dealing with the fallout.