Identity Theft is on the Rise - 10 Tips to Keep You Safe

"It would never happen to me." Wipe this optimistic, glass-half-full thought from your mind and don't look back. As nice as it would be to believe we are all truly safe from identity theft, that is sadly not the case. More and more people fall victim to this rising crime every year, and in all honesty, there really is no 100 percent safeguard from identity theft.

Be protective of your personal data and practice responsible financial behavior. Take a look at the following 10 tips to help you protect yourself from identity theft and identity fraud.

Tips on How to Protect Yourself from Identity Fraud and Identity Theft:

Tip 1:Be especially protective of all your personal identification documents, numbers and data. This pertains to your social security number, driver's license number, birth date, credit card numbers and all other personal information.

Tip 2: Shred all of the important legal and financial documents that you plan to discard. If your credit card companies issue you convenience checks that you don't plan to use, destroy them as well. Use a crosscut shredder if possible.

Tip 3: Keep fewer credit cards so you have fewer accounts to keep an eye on. If you cancel any of your current credit cards, cut them up into pieces and disperse them into different trashcans. Likewise with checks - if you cancel a bank account, destroy your checks immediately. Cancel unused store charge cards and major credit card accounts if you haven't used them in a year or more. Remember that canceling a cumulative number of cards with a relatively high combined line of credit simultaneously could actually hurt your credit score.

Tip 4: Request a credit report at least once a year, just to make sure things are kosher. If you find any suspicious charges, challenge them. Remember, you get three free credit reports each year, one from each of the three credit bureaus, thanks to the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Tip 5: Balance your checkbook and keep close records of your own personal spending. Review each and every credit card statement carefully for errors and unauthorized payments.

Tip 6: NEVERgive out personal information over the telephone unless (a.) you made the phone call for a particular reason, or (b.) you are 100 percent certain you know the person to whom you are speaking, what company he or she represents and the reason for the call/ request. Many times credit thieves scam their victims over the phone to gain critical personal information, like the pin number on the back of your credit card.

Tip 7: Keep comprehensive records of all your credit cards and accounts, with phone numbers and photocopies of both sides of the cards. Store this document in a safe place in case of identity theft or a stolen wallet/ purse. This way if something happens, you can act without delay.

Tip 8: Keep your mail as secure and private as possible. You should also thoroughly destroy any credit card applications that you don't plan to use.

Tip 9: Keep or destroy any receipts with credit card, ATM or debit card account information on them. Keep bank statements in a safe place or destroy them when you no longer wish to keep them.

Tip 10: Seek to remove your name from all three credit bureaus' marketing mailing list. Also seek to remove your information from the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service and Telephone Preference Service. These two modifications should reduce the number of pre-approved credit card solicitations - AKA: junk mail - that you receive.