Thieves tried to use Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s Social Security number to get credit card

Thieves stooped to a new low over the Christmas holiday, swiping the identity of Brooklyn‘s Catholic bishop in an attempted credit card scam.

The crooks learned Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio‘s Social Security number and birth date and used the information to apply for credit cards, Diocese of Brooklyn spokesman the Rev. Kieran Harrington said.

“His identity was compromised,” Harrington said.

The thieves unwittingly fumbled when they applied to MasterCard for new cards in DiMarzio’s name.

“The bishop has an account with MasterCard, so they called him and asked him, ‘Did you order new cards?’ ” Harrington said.

The bishop said no and promptly called the police. The NYPD‘s identity theft unit is investigating.

Law enforcement officials said they found the theft attempt particularly unsettling since DiMarzio, 64, spent much of his career working with the poor.

In 2003, the Newark-born prelate was named to lead the Brooklyn Diocese, which includes Brooklyn and Queens.

“Crooks have no regard for anyone, even a man of the cloth,” said an NYPD source who declined to be identified.

Harrington said that no diocesan employee has been implicated in the case.

Identity theft is one of the most common financial crimes, and 8.4 million Americans fell victim to such scams in 2007, according to a Javelin Strategy and Research survey.

That year, more than $49 billion was stolen by ID thieves who preyed on credit card companies, banks and other financial institutions.

A law enforcement source said ID thieves typically get a card in someone’s name, have the cards sent to a different address, use the cards for a month or two, “and, obviously, don’t pay the bills.”