"Dozens of people are under arrest in Southern California, Nevada, North Carolina and Egypt in a major crackdown against identity theft.



The FBI has launched "Operation Phish Fry" to bust an identity theft ring that has victimized thousands of people.



Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles, says about 100 arrests are expected - many of them in the Los Angeles area. Eimiller says the suspects are accused of running a "phishing" scheme that used computer intrusion and fraud to obtain personal information that allowed them to withdraw money from bank accounts.



"Phishing" scams often involve fake e-mails that direct victims to a bogus Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and account numbers.

The federal indictment, which is due to be unsealed today, names 53 indicted suspects as well as 47 non-indicted co-conspirators from Egypt, said Laura Eimiller, the FBI spokeswoman.