Nobody wants to be the victim of identity theft. Not only do you feel completely outraged and violated, you also have to deal with the hassle of restoring your good name. As identity theft scams become more prevalent, it is important to take steps to protect yourself from this happening. Identity theft prevention is the key to avoid becoming an easy target:

1. Guard your personal information. Things like your social security number, your birth date, and account numbers should not be disclosed freely. Thieves can take this information and use it to create fraudulent accounts. Make sure the credit card company or lender you are working with is legitimate before providing your personal information.

2. Invest in a paper shredder. You know all those credit card offers you get in the mail everyday that usually end up in the trash? Well, it’s really not a good idea to just toss those. A lot of identity theft scams start when a thief goes Dumpster diving and grabs those offers out of trash so they can open a new credit card account. You should also be shredding old statements and other unnecessary paperwork that contains information about you or your accounts.

3. Keep an eye on your credit report. Your credit report contains every bit of information about you, your credit card accounts, and other loans. Checking up on this report to make sure everything is in order is a good thing to do every so often to make sure your existing accounts are in good standing and no fraudulent accounts have been opened.

4. Be careful about what goes in and out of your mailbox. Mail theft is an all too common way for thieves to target you in an identity theft scam. Take any mail with checks or credit card statements enclosed to a postal drop box instead of sticking it in your mailbox for easy access to thieves. When receiving mail, have it sent to a post office box if it contains financial or other personal information. It’s also a good idea not to leave mail in your mailbox for long periods of time, such as during trips or on weekends.

Taking these identity theft prevention steps is the best thing you can do to avoid becoming a victim. Don’t become a target – it’s much easier to shred a credit card statement than to clean up your credit report after a thief has gotten a hold of it!