Identity theft is becoming more commonplace every day. Identity thieves do their best to obtain information from your everyday transactions, which may reveal bits of your personal information: your bank and credit card account numbers; your income; your Social Security number (SSN); or your name, address, and phone numbers. Once an identity thief has your personal information they will use it without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft. While it is impossible to completely eliminate your chances of being a victim of identity theft the FTC offers the following list of precautions to help reduce your risk:

• Before revealing personal identifying information, find out how it will be used and if it will be shared with others. Ask if you have a choice about the use of your information: can you choose to have it kept confidential?
• Pay attention to your billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if bills do not arrive on time.
• Give your Social Security number only when absolutely necessary. Ask to use other types of identifiers when possible.
• Minimize the identification information and the number of cards you carry to what you actually need. If your I.D. or credit cards are lost or stolen, notify the creditors by phone immediately, and call the credit bureaus to ask that a "fraud alert" be placed in your file.
• Order a copy of your credit report from the three credit reporting agencies every year. Make sure it’s accurate and includes only those activities you’ve authorized.
• Keep items with personal information in a safe place; tear them up when you don’t need them anymore. Make sure charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, bank checks and statements, expired charge cards, and credit offers you get in the mail are disposed of appropriately.