The crime of identity theft is probably one of the fastest growing crimes of this century. The reason for that is because far too many people make it way to EASY to have themselves be a victim of identity theft, and they do not take the task of protecting themselves against identify theft seriously enough.

What happens in a case of identity theft? Basically, the thief ?becomes? you, opens loan accounts, charge cards, and credit cards in your name, then disappears into the sunset, never to be seen again. In the meantime, the first that you become aware of it is when you start getting calls from lenders and creditors that you have never heard of and where you ?know? you do not have an account, asking when you going to start making payments or is there a problem? But by then, it is far too late.

Let's back up a step. How does identity theft occur? Identity theft occurs when a third becomes you. That is done by a thief going through your trash and coming up with something that has your unique identifiers on it. If you have decent or good credit, you probably get these pre-approved cards in the mail all the time for credit cards and loan accounts. What do you do with these offers? Do you simply throw them in the trash? If so, you are putting yourself at risk for identify theft, as much of America does. Instead, invest in a small shredder, probably under $50 at Best Buy, Circuit City, or your local office supply store, and shred documents such as those. Anything that has identifiable information on it other than ?Occupant? goes into the shredder.

Another way this happens is in restaurants, and unfortunately, even some of the nicer restaurants. Dinner has come and gone and you are enjoying the ambiance of this restaurant and the company of your spouse and perhaps some guests. The waiter or waitress brings the check, and you pick it up, glance at it, then lay it back on the table with your credit card. BIG MISTAKE. What happens is that your credit card has left your sight for a period of time ? more than enough time for a possible thief to write down your credit card information, your expiration date, your CCV code (that three or four digit code on the back of your card), and get the bill back to you. You do not know what has happened to your credit card while it was out of your sight. Chance is good that nothing is going to happen with your credit card, but what if it does? You just gave the thief everything they wanted to start a spending spree, and in the online world, all you need is a credit card, expiration date, and CCV number.

Do not allow yourself to become a victim of identity theft. Be very aware of where you are and who you are with. If it is necessary to pay for a meal like at a restaurant with a credit card, ask the waiter to bring the bill to your table. With the rising amount of crime that is seen this way, most waiters will think nothing of the request. They can get credit authorization just with the account number, not with CCV or expiration date. The bottom line is not to make yourself an easy target.