SLINGER - Identity theft is the number one consumer complaint in Wisconsin and as TODAY'S TMJ4 discovered, in some cases, businesses make it easy for criminals to steal your money.

TODAY'S TMJ4 got a call from a family in Slinger whose credit cards were stolen. They couldn't believe what the crooks were able to do with their plastic.

"They worked very quick," Leann Fischer said.

Thieves stole her husband's credit cards and went on a shopping spree in Southeast Wisconsin. From Menomonee Falls to Milwaukee and then south to Kenosha. It took the crooks only three hours to rack up almost $4,000.

"If one person would have asked for identification these charges would never have appeared," Fischer said.

This couple signs all their cards. Fischer and her husband even took protecting their plastic one step further.

"All it would have taken is flip that card over. You see the picture," says Fischer. "Wrong person; it's frustrating."

Technology means we can just swipe and go, many times without an employee ever touching our credit card. We found out it really is easy to use someone else's charge card at major retailers. No questions asked.

We sent our producer out to spend some money, using a friend's card. It even has the owner's picture on it. Almost no one asked for ID, double checked signatures or looked for a picture.

"Identity theft can be very easily accomplished in a situation like that," says consumer expert Elmer Prenzlow.

He warns businesses speeding up transactions puts customers at risk.

"Sometimes faster isn't necessarily better when it comes to proving who you are and making sure you're not a victim of fraud and that has to start with businesses," Prenzlow said.

As Leann Fischer sorts through a mass of paperwork from the crime, she couldn't agree more.

"I do think that stores need to take a look. Who's gonna pay for this now? Who pays for this? The end is you and I," Fischer said.

Some tips for consumers. The first line of protection: go over your credit card bills every month, line by line. If the bill doesn't come on time, call the company. Thieves will steal statements from mailboxes and change the billing address.

You always want to check credit reports, and if you think you lost your card, report it. It's easier to get a new card than deal with charges made by crooks.