Do you use identity theft prevention measures? If not, you may want to start. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes of this century and more than 10 million people find themselves a victim of it annually. The vast majority of this is simply not being cautious with who they share their personal information with.

The average victim of identity theft can expect to pay at least $500 to try and correct the problems that will result. You can also expect to spend a minimum of 60 hours making phone calls, writing letters, and sending faxes to try and prove that it was not you that made the charges on the accounts affected. These thieves have become more creative so you must become more educated about the best identity theft prevention measures available.

Everyone has heard that one of the best ways to not become a victim is to shred all mail that comes into your home. This is a great first step. Make sure that you use a shredder that cross-cuts the paper, since this will completely alleviate the ability to put the document back together. One often overlooked item to shred is magazines. Many magazines have preprinted order forms inside that have your name and account number on them, so tear off the address label and the order form before you throw them out.

Due to the large number of consumer complaints, the federal government has also implemented some things to help you with identity theft prevention. One of those things is having the credit reporting companies agree to send you a copy of your credit report for free once a year. You should request your report every year and look for signs of activity there that you did not initiate or you were not aware of.

The credit reporting companies have also gotten into the act to help you prevent this crime. One way is to send them an "opt-out" which means that you no longer want any banks or financial institutions to mail you offers, even if you qualify. This is a great idea, especially because you may be tempted to sign up for what may appear to be great offers and then find yourself with financial problems due to over-extending yourself.

The credit reporting agencies now will permit you to put a credit freeze on your account with them. The benefit of this is that nobody can run a credit report on you unless they have your express permission to do so. Obtaining that permission is designed to be a somewhat complex and cumbersome process. This will deter most identity thieves since there are so many other targets out there who are much easier victims.

You may also wish to consider identity theft protection services. These companies provide various levels of service, usually including a constant monitoring of your credit reports and notifying you whenever there are any changes. Such companies charge a monthly fee, but for the peace of mind and sometimes a very solid guarantee, it is much cheaper than the consequences if you are a victim.

With reports of this crime continuing to increase every year, you really need to think about what you are doing for yourself in terms of identity theft prevention. The simple safeguards that you can put in place today can save you hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours of your personal time if you become a victim.

Legal Products on our marketplace

For more insights and additional information about Identity Theft Prevention as well as getting free copies of your credit reports from the credit bureaus, please visit our web site at http://www.idtheftprotectiontips.com