• "Dumpster diving" in trash bins for unshredded credit card and loan applications and documents containing SSNs.
• Stealing mail from unlocked mailboxes to obtain newly issued credit cards, bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, investment reports, insurance statements, benefits documents, or tax information.
• Accessing your credit report fraudulently, for example, by posing as an employer, loan officer, or landlord.
• Obtaining names and SSNs from personnel or customer files in the workplace.
• "Shoulder surfing" at ATM machines and phone booths in order to capture PIN numbers.
• Finding identifying information on Internet sources, via public records sites and fee-based information broker sites.

1. Keep important personal information in a safe place. To minimize the amount of information a thief can steal, do not carry extra credit cards, your Social Security card, birth certificate or passport in your wallet or purse, except when needed. At work, store your wallet in a safe place. If possible, keep infrequently used documents (Social Security cards, birth certificates, car titles) in a safe or safe-deposit box.
2. Guard your Social Security number. Do not carry other cards in your wallet that contain the Social Security number (SSN), except on days when you need them.
3. Make sure your mail is secure. If you don't have a locked mailbox, use a post office box or a commercial mailbox service. When you are away from home for an extended time, have your mail held at the Post Office, or ask a trusted neighbor to pick it up.
4. When ordering new checks, pick them up at the bank. Don’t have them mailed to your home. If you have a post office box, use that address on your checks rather than your home address so thieves will not know where you live.
5. Use post office drop-boxes to mail bills. When you pay bills, do not leave the envelopes containing your checks at your mailbox for the postal carrier to pick up, or in open boxes at the receptionist’s desk in your workplace. If stolen, your checks can be altered and then cashed by the imposter.
6. Don't offer information to callers/websites you don't know. Never give out your SSN, credit card number or other personal information over the phone, by mail, or on the internet unless you initiated the contact. Odds are good that offers asking for your personal information in return for a "vacation" or "prize" are fraudulent.
7. Always take credit card receipts with you. Never toss them in a public trash container.
8. Watch the mail when expecting new credit cards. Contact the issuer if the card does not arrive.
9. Order your credit report at least once per year. Credit reports will show any new account activity recorded in your name; if an identity thief has opened accounts in your name, they will show up on this report.

Interested in more information? Check these resources:

• Credit Reporting Agencies
• Equifax (800) 685-1111 (800) 525-6285
• Experian (888) EXPERIAN (888-397-3742)
  (888) EXPERIAN (888-397-3742)
• TransUnion (800) 916-8800 (800) 680-7289
  
  
• Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Clearinghouse
• Phone: (877) IDTHEFT (877-438-4338)
• Web: www.consumer.gov/idtheft
• FTC’s free 34-page identity theft guide, "When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name," available by phone and www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm
  
  
• Identity Theft Resource Center
• Phone: (858) 693-7935
• Web: www.idtheftcenter.org
  
  
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
• Phone: (619) 298-3396
• Web: www.privacyrights.org
• Test your identity theft risk factor, www.privacyrights.org/itrc-quiz1.htm
  

• U.S. Dept. Of Justice identity theft info:www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
• Identity Theft Survival Kit. Phone: (800) 725-0807.
  Web: www.identitytheft.org
• Fight Identity Theft, www.fightidentitytheft.com