This growing crime accounted for nearly half of the
380,000 consumer fraud complaints to the federal
government last year. Thieves steal such personal
information as credit card or Social Security
numbers, in order to commit fraud or steal money.
Among some of the ways you can protect against this:
Order your credit report from credit bureaus once a
year to check for any fraud; shred mail with
personal information before putting in the trash or
recycling bin; and don't give out personal
information in response to a phone call, e-mail or
letter without first checking the source. For more
information, go to the US government's central
source on identity theft, at
www.consumer.gov/idtheft/