PHOENIX -- Stealing identities became a compulsion for one Valley identity thief.

Over a period of five years, "Samantha" lived off others' names, spending thousands of dollars in credit at local stores. She did most of her damage at Home Depot and Wal-Mart, visiting different locations weekly.

Samantha is not her real name; she wished to remain anonymous.

"I was addicted to it, it was so easy," Samantha said. She estimated that she has affected about 30 individuals' credit by stealing their identities.

Samantha, who spent seven months in jail and is now serving three years on probation, said, "I would go to stores that had instant credit – where they gave you store credit right there – and just go crazy with it."'

With the stolen information she would apply for credit with her real identification card, but used another person's Social Security number and address.

These locations gave her a credit line of up to $15,000, and Samantha would then spend all day shopping without anyone suspecting a thing.

Samantha said identity thieves are looking for two key things: current or former addresses and social security numbers. She obtained the information from her job, which gave her access to credit files.

Other ways thieves steal private information are through fake employment ads where individuals fill out applications and simply hand over personal information. Social networking Web sites like MySpace that reveal names and addresses also attract thieves, she said.

Samantha also said she used "shoulder surfing," which involves looking over a person's shoulder when at a store or an ATM to gain personal information.

Pre-texting is another trap thieves use -- they pretend to be a legitimate business, such as an insurance company, and try to get an individual to verify account information.

Samantha said she regrets ruining so many people's lives but hopes she can offer a warning to others that identification theft can happen to anyone.

"I would make sure you know who you are talking to," Samantha warned. "Don't be stupid ... be smart about your information."

For its part, Home Depot said it is constantly looking for ways to crack down on identity theft to prevent fraud, especially when it comes to giving out instant store credit cards.

The more identity thieves steal, the more customers end up paying through higher prices, a Home Depot representative said.