Identity theft can happen when a criminal obtains your social security number, along with other personal information such as your date of birth, address, phone number, driver’s license number, bank account number, or credit card account number. The criminal can use this information to forge such documents as a fake driver’s license using your name, and then apply for credit with it, giving a different address under a cover story of having moved. If the credit provider is lax about verifying the address and okays the credit, the criminal will possess an account or credit card that is in your name. As soon as one account is opened, the criminal will appear to be credible and use this to apply for credit once again, or could lease a car or apartment, or purchase various services such as a phone line or broadband Internet.

Therefore you need to make sure that your identity does not get stolen and misused. To keep that from happening, make sure you follow the following advice:

Be careful when disposing of documents. Identity thieves can steal your identity through “dumpster diving,” or rummaging in your trash to uncover documents that contain personal information about you, such as bank, credit card, insurance, pension, or employment records. To prevent dumpster diving, you should shred or crosscut sensitive documents before disposing of them in the trash.

Guard your social security number like a hawk. Do not carry your social security card in your bag or wallet. If it should get lost or stolen, an identity thief may get a hold of it. Also make sure that your social security number is not publicly visible on your employee ID or other form of personal identification. Above all, do not give out your social security number without a good reason, and if you do, make sure it is in a private transaction where no strangers can spy on you.

Keep an eye on your credit card. Keep track of what salespeople do with your credit card when you use it to make a purchase. There are identity thieves who will skim credit cards if you let them out of your sight for an instant.

Protect your computer from trojans and spyware. A lot of identity thieves now steal information over the Internet. This is often done by implanting spyware or trojan software on your computer. These are malicious programs disguised as something harmless or useful, such as a free screensaver or program. To protect yourself, you need to install a firewall on your computer, as well as reputable anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.