What's your mother's maiden name?

In the age of Google, that's not just the security question to your bank account -- it's another easy stop for criminals on the Information  superhighway.

And that's only the beginning: Birthdays, addresses, hometowns and relatives' names are increasingly easy prey for real-world con artists and online predators, and easily can lead to identity theft, financial fraud and computer hijacking.

Identity fraud

Perhaps the most invasive obtrusion is identity fraud -- where others sign up for utilities and services under your name, without your knowledge.

"We're inundated with white-collar crime in the city of Pittsfield," said Police Detective Capt. Patrick F. Barry. "The [perpetrators] don't necessarily live here, but the bill is going to people in Pittsfield."

Sometimes the evidence is a surprise credit-card bill from eBay purchases; other times, people have set up mortgages, loans and utilities -- sometimes years ago, and sometimes in other states or countries.

And criminals have gone the extra mile in an effort to get key information -- outside of breaking into homes and cars for wallets and purses, some break into mailboxes or dig through Dumpsters in the hopes of finding bank statements, tax records, utility checks or even credit-card offers.

Check and wire fraud

In this rough economy, that human element can be even more enticing to criminals as they exploit consumer security through check and wire fraud.

These frauds work more subtly than Dumpster diving or mail theft, instead persuading owners of bank accounts to willingly give a criminal their hard-earned cash.

One of the most infamous schemes is "the Nigerian scam," where a fictitious prince will offer millions to assist with "imporation [sic] of goods" -- only needing a few thousand dollars or your bank account number to get the ball rolling.

While that scam has been widely dispelled worldwide, many still fall for it -- and con artists have only gotten more creative.

Grandparents and elderly relatives, for example, are targeted through their heartstrings. Kinzer said criminals often will call the elderly, posing as a grandchild, saying they were in an accident overseas and need money wired to them immediately via Western Union.

"They call your grandmother on a scratchy line, and they think, ‘Of course, that's because my grandson's in Italy,' " Kinzer said.

While astute employees from wire-transfer spots such as Big Y or Walmart sometimes intercept the money wire and alert police, the theft can go uncaught.

"For us, that's kind of where it ends -- we don't have the resources to send officers to Canada or Italy," Kinzer said.

Another common scam plays on people's hopes -- telling them they've won a foreign lottery. The victim, thrilled to be offered thousands of dollars, is told to cash a check and send a few hundred dollars back as "taxes" for their winnings.