How to Protect Yourself from Becoming an Identity Theft Victim

Identity theft can be an insidious crime as thousands of victims don't even know that their identity has been stolen at this very moment. But there are strategies every consumer can employ to keep their identity safe and secure. If you want to prevent major identity theft, you should seriously consider using the services provided by identity theft prevention professionals. No matter your decision, you should always employ these strategies throughout your daily life to reduce your likelihood of becoming a victim:

Guard your Social Security number: Perhaps the most important number to an identity thief is your Social Security number. This number is the gateway to all your accounts and debts, and is one of the most popular ways to verify your identity. If a thief gets a hold of this, he/she could do a lot of damage very quickly. This is one of the reasons why so many credit card and insurance companies have begun to eliminate Social Security numbers from their customer service databases. Today, you'll often be asked a special security question or some other tidbit that isn't related to your Social Security number. If you still have accounts tied to your Social Security number or are asked for it to verify your identity, you can request that the company offer you another form of identity verification. Never give out your number unless you are confident that it is necessary.
Clean out your trash: Sounds funny, right? Don't throw something away if it could give a thief valuable information about you. Buy a shredder and send all of your account statements and bills through it before you throw them away. Even better, ask for electronic statements and billing, that way a thief can't get the information in your mailbox or trash can. It doesn't take much for a thief to find valuable information in the garbage.
Get creative with your passwords: An identity thief will be able to figure out your mother's maiden name or the name of your childhood dog. Be savvy when it comes to creating your passwords; use a combination of numbers and letters, uppercase and symbols. Make them purposefully confusing. This will make it more difficult for a thief to get access to your password-protected accounts.
Get a safe: If you have personal information in your home, you might want to consider getting a safe or opening a safe deposit box at your local bank. If there is information in print that you don't want easily accessible, do your best to hide and protect it. Think about what a thief could gain from spending 10 minutes in your file cabinet or home office. Is it worth the risk?
Become self-conscious: There's trusting and then there's naïve. Don't leave your personal belongings in public places. This means don't leave your purse in the shopping cart 10 feet away, and don't leave your wallet in your desk drawer at work. Unfortunately, the temptation could be too great for an identity thief, and the ease of stealing your property far too simple.