Identity theft is no longer a novelty. Widespread reports of ID crimes have heightened consumer awareness of the need to protect personal financial information. While many have taken steps to ensure their protection, you can never be too careful. Here are additional steps to keep your information secure.

Crime in the old days was so much simpler. All you had to worry about was the occasional cat burglar, or the armed hold-up down at the bank. Thanks to modern technology, however, we now have to be on guard against identity theft, and these crooks don't wear masks. They operate somewhere out there in cyber-space, searching for personal financial information that can lead them to the Promised Land-your credit card accounts.

Protection savvy

Thwart the scammers by following these simple tips:

1. Review your reports: Vigilant monitoring of your credit information is essential. Scrutinize your credit report every three months by obtaining a free report from annualcreditreport.com. Check over its details with a fine-tooth comb, searching for any new accounts that have been opened recently. You can also contact a credit bureau directly and, for a small fee, you can set up a credit report monitoring service.
2. Make a statement: Review your credit card statements with equal diligence. If you use financial software, the reconciliation function will help you double-check every purchase. Talk with your family members about any purchases that look suspicious, no matter how small the amount. Even relatively tiny debits can be the work of identity thieves.
3. Protect your personal information: The numbers on your credit card are the target of any identity thief, and if you lose your wallet, you'll be easy pickings. You'll also have to conduct a frantic search for credit card numbers, as well as the customer service numbers you must call to report the theft. To avoid the panicked scramble, photocopy all the numbers of your cards and store them in a safe, easily-accessible place. Don't store the numbers on your computer, though; that's fair game for any on-line scammers.
4. Monitor your mailbox: Consider changing your habits with regard to your mailbox. Switch to online billing to avoid having account statements sent through the U.S. mail. Thieves can swipe your bills from your mailbox and use them to access your account. If you regularly receive checks through the post office, set up a direct deposit system. For outgoing correspondence, drop your letters in a post office mailbox, especially if you're sending checks.
5. Passwords for prevention: Password-protect each of your accounts, and don't choose anything obvious like your birthday or your children's names for a password. Instead, create an alphanumeric password, which is a mixture of letters, numbers, and even symbols.

Strike before they do

Identity theft is a fact of life in today's technology-saturated society. Like all criminals, scammers target the people who let down their defenses. By protecting your financial information and carefully monitoring your credit, you can stop these modern-day financial thieves before they can strike.