New study: Risk of ID theft at epidemic levels

According to a new study, consumers are at a greater risk now for identity theft then they have ever been before.

A report by the New York State Attorney General's Office says that computer hacking and identity theft is at epidemic levels.

It shows that the number of hacking cases in New York state alone are up more than 100 percent.

Retailers and consumers are the most frequent victims, with data breaches costing the US nearly $25 billion dollars just in 2012.

Experts say hackers are hitting bigger targets with 5 of the 10 largest hacks in history happening in the past three years.

"I think there is no question that the problem is getting bigger, it is expanding. It is a major problem that will only increase in complexity and expense," said Ray Kelly, ABC News consultant.

So how do you protect yourself?

Experts say defending yourself against skilled cyber criminals isn't easy, but there are simple steps you can take:

Some of their suggestions include checking your credit and debit accounts often, changing your passwords frequently and never posting personal information on social media pages.