The crime of identity theft has spread out of control throughout the whole of the United States of America. In the past people have been too trusting, and they have not taken the threat of identity fraud seriously enough. The fact that people are asking “how do I avoid identity theft” is a very positive sign that they are now waking up to the threat and taking it seriously.

Identity theft is a very personal crime. Even though the victim and the culprit never meet in the majority of cases, the invasion of personal privacy is a violation that strikes victims emotionally at the deepest level. The trauma caused by identity theft is akin to having one’s home ransacked and vandalised by thieves.

In order to understand how to avoid identity theft, it is necessary to understand what identity theft is and how it is performed, as well as what steps can be taken to avoid being a victim of this very personal type of fraud.

What is identity theft?

Identity theft occurs when somebody uses your personal data illegally by pretending it belongs to them. They might get hold of your credit card details and use them to make purchases online, where they don’t need to produce an actual card to complete the transaction. They might steal your Social Security Number and sell it to illegal immigrants so they can get jobs. The most serious form of identity theft is when the thief assumes your identity and commits crimes in your name; innocent victims have found themselves under arrest while the identity thief escapes.

How is identity theft accomplished?

There are various ways identity theft can be accomplished, some of them are simple and some are high tech. The methods include theft of documents, sending “phishing” emails to victims, stealing credit card details and hacking into company databases.

What are the steps to prevent identity theft?

1. The first and most basic defence against identity theft is to avoid giving out personal details where possible.

2. Never tell anyone your passwords; you must take sole responsibility for the safety of your identity.

3. Be careful during financial transactions. Make sure nobody takes your credit card out of your sight, and shield the keypad when you type your PIN number in at the ATM.

4. Never send personal information in an email – email is not secure.

5. Never give personal information out over the phone to anyone who calls you, they might not be who they claim to be.

6. Don’t leave private documents lying around (even at home) and never leave sensitive documents in an unattended vehicle.

7. Always shred or burn any old documents which bear even the smallest amount of personal information, never throw them away whole or just ripped up.

Consider using a fraud protection monitoring service to ensure you get an early warning if somebody attempts to breach your personal privacy.