There are thieves on the loose in offices across the country. They’re called idea thieves, taking the best from their colleagues and claiming those ideas for themselves.

Though they may not go to jail for their crimes, those who have been their victims probably would love to sentence them to some hard time in an unemployment office.

In a survey of 444 workers done by OfficeTeam, a staffing service specializing in placing administrative professionals, 29 percent of workers in an office environment say they have been bothered by a co-worker taking credit for their ideas. Still, 51 percent said they did nothing about it.

“Today’s workplace is more competitive than ever, and unfortunately, there are people who will go to great lengths to make themselves look good or get promoted, including taking credit for someone else’s ideas,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam.

Andrew Sassaman, division director with Pittsburgh-based Robert Half International, said, “What happens is that in an uncertain economy, a lot of employees resort to things that they ordinarily would not do.”

Certain office settings are more susceptible to idea theft than others.

“If an office has a very team-oriented culture, where ideas are frequently voiced, you are less likely to find this kind of behavior,” Sassaman said, noting that competitive environments are more likely to be problematic.

The best way to handle it?

“Being proactive in sharing your vision with your manager and colleagues early on can help ensure that others know the concept originated with you,” Hosking said.

Here are some tips the two experts offered:

•Use status updates to remind your boss about your ideas, along with progress reports about how and what you’re doing to make your idea a reality.

•You might want to ignore it if the idea stolen is just a small one. But if it happens a lot, you need to speak up.

•Go to the colleague you think stole your idea to give that person a chance to explain. The whole thing may be a misunderstanding. “This is a conversation which needs to happen in a private place,” Sassaman said.

•If you are the one being credited for an idea that wasn’t yours, make sure you tell those in charge and your colleague who really had the idea so that the situation can be corrected, or at least aired.