With the struggling economy, there comes an insidious group of people who have only one intention... and that is to take your identity and steal your credit.

Identity theft is becoming so pervasive that one out of every 6 people in this country will have this happen to them sometime in their lifetime.

Can you really "protect" yourself from identity theft?  Well, the short answer to that question is no.  However, there are many ways that you can use precautionary measures to help to prevent it from happening to you.

Shred all documents that have any of your personal information, that includes hand written notes.

Review all bank and credit card statements for any suspicious activity. This should at least be done with each statement, but it's much better if you review your account online more frequently

Do not carry your social security card in your wallet

Cover the keypad when you enter your "PIN"

Make sure you watch the clerk when they swipe your card.  Sometimes these thieves will swipe your card twice. Once for your purchase and once for a machine that will capture your personal information.

Treat all financial emails with tremendous precaution. Identity thieves are very good at disguising their intentions.

Never give out your social security number without being absolutely certain you are dealing with a legitimate company that is using the proper security measures.

Make sure to use high security passwords for all websites that you visit.

Do not provide ANY bank or credit card account information from anyone who asks for it via email.  Professional companies will never do this.

Make sure you keep track of all your credit cards and bank statements.  Many identity thieves will take only one credit card from your wallet to minimize the risk to them of you catching it early.

Only carry the credit cards that you are using.  Keep the rest locked up or in a safe location. This can help with credit protection by keeping you from overspending as well.

If your purse or wallet is stolen, report it immediately and contact all of your credit card companies and banks immediately. This will not only help stop the thieves from using your credit cards, it will help the credit card company to stop them from victimizing someone else.

Do not share your credit card information over the phone unless you made the contact with the company and you have done your research to determine if they're legitimate.

These are but a few precautions you can take.

But what I said earlier... that you can't protect yourself from identity theft. 

But what you can do is protect your credit by stopping the thieves after they do steal it. Once identity theft takes place, time is of the essence to minimize the damage they can do to you.

If you notice even a one penny debit in your bank statement, you have become the victim of identity theft. In fact, that is exactly the way a lot of these unscrupulous companies operate.  They will just take a few cents from your bank account so you might not notice it.  Once they are sure they have an active bank account, they can liquidate the account in one fell swoop.

Elderly people on social security should be particularly cautious of anyone calling to ask for their social security number. The social security administration has high security measures. There are many thieves who will prey on trusting elderly people.

Credit protection is important to all of us. But, in addition to credit protection, making sure that you have a reliable company that is there to help  you stop these identity thieves from ruining your life is even more important.

Identity thieves will always be here in one form or another.  The internet has opened a lot of doors for identity thieves to have their way.  Banks and credit card companies spend billions every year to prevent this vermin from attacking you and their own companies'.

Peace and Success,

Kevin Halper