Learning how to prevent identity theft is on the minds of many people today since it is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world, and can still be one of the most difficult to correct. As with other crimes you may be a victim of, it’s often better to do what you can to actually prevent identity theft rather than assuming you can quickly and easily fix the problem after it’s happened.

There are of course many things you can do to prevent identity theft in your own case. You may have heard of the importance of shredding all your mail and bills and other paperwork before you throw anything away. You may have been told to leave your social security card, checkbook, and unnecessary credit cards at home when you go out. You might know something about how to prevent identity theft online, such as not using a credit card to pay for things but instead establishing a PayPal account so that all your information is stored with one company rather than shared with anyone and everyone.

But what is the best way to prevent identity theft? What is the one important thing you can be doing to keep this crime from happening to you?

In truth, all of these things are important for anyone that wants to prevent identity theft, but really the best thing you can do is to understand how this crime happens and what identity thieves do to get your information in the first place. When you learn how to think like they do then you can better realize what you need to do to keep your information and your identity private and safe.

For instance, when you realize that some people go “dumpster diving” or sift through trash and even landfills to look for paperwork that has other sensitive information so that they can steal your identity, you realize why you need to shred your things before you throw them out – better yet, sign up for online billing for all your utilities, car payment, mortgage, and so on, and tell your bank to stop sending you paper statements in the mail. When you use the internet for these things you can prevent identity theft by those who will stoop so low so as to rifle through your trash for information.

You can also prevent identity theft from those who would steal your purse or wallet when you’re out by not having all those important numbers and cards with you at all times. You probably have no reason to carry your social security card everywhere you go, so why take it with you?

When you learn the different methods that thieves use to steal your information you can better be able to prevent identity theft altogether. There’s no guarantee that it will never happen to you no matter what you do, but by making yourself a more difficult target than the next guy you can prevent identity theft in the first place.

Have you ever gotten an email from a stranger that promised something great or asked you for money for some type of charity or other reason and asked for some personal information at the same time? Many of these emails just lead to online identity theft, and if you’re aware of how this type of thing happens in an email then you can be better prepared to protect yourself. Online identity theft actually happens less often than you may think, but it does still happen so you need to protect yourself.

When you get an email from someone saying that they are a banking official or are acting on behalf of some political figure and want to squirrel money out of the country with your help, you might immediately know that this is just a ploy to commit online identity theft but you’d be surprised how many people actually fall for this type of scam. The person emailing you usually says that they need your bank account information or your social security information in order to wire you the funds. Having this information gives them everything they need to steal your identity. The most famous of this type of online identity theft solicitation is the Nigerian banking scam, but it has many different forms that are very similar. Some will say they are soliciting for a charity or that they have a medical condition and need to take care of this type of business immediately. The common element is that they all ask for personal information about you, your bank account number, your social security number, or some other type of information that should be kept private and confidential.

Other types of emails that lead to online identity theft are what is called phishing, where you receive an email that looks as if it’s from a legitimate site such as eBay or PayPal. The email says that you are going to be charged for a recent purchase or that you need to update your personal information with them. They provide a link right there in the email that supposedly goes back to their site so you can correct this situation, but following that link usually results in online identity theft because it doesn’t actually go back to that site. As a matter of fact, the email isn’t really from them in the first place. But if you follow that link and enter your information they record all the numbers and other things you type so they can use it for online identity theft.

The internet is usually safer than most places to conduct business because there isn’t always the human element the way there is when you pay bills through the mail, but online identity theft does still happen. Unfortunately people often neglect being careful with their information when they get emails they don’t recognize or when it has a great sales pitch. If you’re careful and skeptical, you can prevent online identity theft in your own case.

A lot of people understand what identity theft is – someone uses your name, social security number, or credit card numbers to establish their own financial accounts, to pretend that they’re you, or to steal everything in your bank accounts already. But there’s a new crime that’s been creeping up already, and that’s medical identity theft. Some may not understand the seriousness of this type of crime and may wonder how it affects them as a victim, but there are some reasons why it’s important to take seriously the threat of medical identity theft.

For one thing, medical identity theft is usually tied in with insurance theft or fraud. A person claiming to be you so that they can get medical treatment or care is probably costing your insurance company money as well as the doctor’s office or hospital makes a claim to the insurance company after the person is gone. When you’re the victim of medical identity theft you may wind up with bills for medical services you didn’t receive or you may find that your insurance deductible and policy itself are both affected. Some people are only allowed so many doctor’s and hospital visits under their medical care, so when the insurance company thinks you’ve used these up you may be denied coverage when you try to visit the doctor for real. Trying to straighten out cases of medical identity theft with your insurance company can be very difficult as they have been slower to respond to the threat of identity theft than banks and credit unions. Simply telling your insurance carrier that you didn’t see a doctor or visit a hospital on a certain day may not be enough. This means coordinating information with doctors, hospitals, admissions clerks, and so on.

Some who commit medical identity theft also do so because they are trying to get narcotics or other treatments they shouldn’t be getting. Many drug users commit medical identity theft so that they can’t be traced from hospital to hospital or from doctor to doctor, getting painkillers or other such medications at each one. They may use these things themselves or they may turn around and illegally sell them on the street. This means that medical identity theft is often tied into drug trafficking and abuse, so it’s not something to be ignored.

It’s also not unusual for these one to be in a country illegally, to have a warrant out for their arrest, or for some other reason not be able to give their real name and identification. Rarely does anyone commit medical identity theft simply because they can’t afford medications or treatment; there are government programs available for those who are in this situation. This crime is something that needs to be taken seriously and shouldn’t be ignored or dismissed as being victimless. It is something that affects not only the real patient but their insurance company and which encourages other, very serious crimes as well.

Those who are not used to the internet or who do not understand how it works often think that internet identity theft is the biggest threat they face when it comes to such a crime. Because the internet is so vast and faceless, it’s easy to assume that there are millions of eyes in every place looking over your private information and account numbers. They are often hesitant to do their banking, bill paying, and shopping online because they assume that all these things open them up to internet identity theft every time they perform such a transaction.

In truth internet identity theft happens much less than people think. Doing business online is often safer than doing business in person or than getting paper statements in the mail and sending checks to pay your bills. There are a few reasons for this, and once you understand how the internet works then you may better understand why internet identity theft happens less than you would think.

The internet is just a connection of computers communicating with one another. When you enter your information online to pay your bills or check your bank account, you are just communicating with the computer of that particular company. Computers have no interest in committing internet identity theft; it’s humans that commit this crime. When you take out the human element from this type of process you have much less of a chance to suffer the crime of identity theft.

So how does internet identity theft actually happen? Usually this is done when people enter their critical information to sites that are set up specifically by those who want to steal your identity. For instance some sites may say that they can check your credit report at all three bureaus for you and request your driver’s license number, social security number, and so on. These companies aren’t real but are designed specifically for internet identity theft against those who enter their information. Large, legitimate companies guard against this type of crime so entering your information at your bank’s website or PayPal or eBay or another such site is typically safe, but any other site whose name you don’t recognize should be approached with caution.

It’s also true that internet identity theft happens less than you think because when you receive paper credit card statements or bank statements in the mail, it’s easy enough for someone to steal these things right out of your mailbox and then they have all the info they need to take your identity. It might seem strange to be paying your bills online but this is actually typically safer than paying by check through the mail. If you can, opt out of getting paper statements from your bank as well and check your balance online. You can usually do all your transactions online such as moving money from one account or the other. Since internet identity theft is usually much more rare than you think, sign up for this service today.

There’s no doubt about the fact that identity theft is a big issue today, and many people are looking for quick and easy identity theft tips to keep themselves safe. Of course there are things you can do that are very involved and services you can purchase that cost an arm and a leg but before you do all of that, first try these quick and easy identity theft tips.

First, remember that most identity theft tips deal with how you reveal your identity yourself. Some people are still in the habit of writing their driver’s license number on all their checks, even if they don’t need to. The bank or credit union may require this information but most other people do not. If you’re in the habit of writing checks at the grocery store, get one of their check writing cards; this usually means that they record your information and keep it in one spot so that you don’t need to write this down on every check. All of the identity theft tips in the world won’t help you if you go out and volunteer that information to anyone and everyone. So don’t write this information on checks you send to utility companies, car payment, and so on.

Other identity theft tips include being careful with information you share online. Typically doing business online is much more secure than sharing information in person, but sometimes identity theft can happen on a website or over the internet. You may have already heard of the identity theft tips that say to delete emails asking for your personal information because you’ve won some out of state lottery or because some deposed Nigerian king or banking official wants to smuggle money out of the country with your help. Other identity theft tips for security online is to be sure that any site you use where you share a credit card number is secured or locked; look for an icon of a padlock or a certificate saying that it’s a secure site. Be selective about sharing your social security number and other personal information. Avoid those credit information sites that offer to check your credit at all the major corporations for you, instead, go directly to those sites and get the info yourself.

Some additional identity theft tips include shredding your daily mail, including junk mail and offers for credit cards. If you still get paper utility bills, you only need to keep a few months worth and once they get older than that, shred them before you throw them out. If you are throwing out an old driver’s license, shred it first. Do the same with bank account statements, charge card statements, and so on. These identity theft tips will keep you from being the victim of a “dumpster diver,” meaning someone that picks through trash hoping to find sensitive information they can use to steal someone’s identity.

Follow through with these identity theft tips and you’ll be much less likely to have your identity stolen.

You may be surprised by what identity theft statistics reveal about the crime and its victims. Many people have a lot of misconceptions about the circumstances surrounding the crime, and some still don’t even view it as a crime in of itself. But if you give identity theft statistics a few minutes of your time and consideration you may find out your own risk and how to avoid having this happen to you.

For one thing, most identity theft statistics show that the vast majority, some 90%, of cases happen through offline means as opposed to have an identity and sensitive information compromised online through the internet. While identity theft does sometimes happen through fraudulent websites and emails and means such as this, you are usually safer handling your finances and things such as this through the internet rather than in person, sending checks through the mail. Many identity theft statistics also show that the majority of cases happen from stolen checkbooks, wallets, purses, and things that a person was carrying on them at the time. Pickpockets are now targeting that precious information just as much as they’re targeting your cash.

identity theft statistics also show that many cases are perpetrated by someone the victim knew such as a relative, neighbor, coworker, and so on. They may allow someone in their home and not think about putting away their important papers, or allow a distant relative or old friend to stay with them and neglect to lock up their papers and cards. These may be some of the most disturbing identity theft statistics there are, the thought that a so-called friend or relative could take advantage of someone or of their hospitality in order to steal their identity is just downright obscene.

The good part of identity theft statistics is that people do seem to be more aware of the threat and are doing a better job of protecting themselves. While declines in identity theft statistics are marginal, they are decreasing somewhat every single year. It’s unlikely that this is because less people are reporting the crime as so many are realizing that it truly is a crime that needs to be dealt with in an appropriate fashion; chances are better that people are just being more fastidious in protecting themselves.

Other surprising identity theft statistics are that senior citizens are actually the smallest group of victims. Seniors do face special threats from those who scam or con them out of their savings but usually identity theft is not typically a problem for them. The 35-44 age group actually had the highest numbers of identity theft. Statistics however show that no age group is immune as even children can have their identity stolen.

You may wonder just where you fit in to these identity theft statistics but keep in mind that it’s important to be proactive in taking steps to protect yourself regardless of your age group, your financial situation, your family situation, and so on.