Criminals trying to steal your information can be clever, but you can protect yourself and your finances from them by following some basic guidelines.
Take care of your personal information
Your personal information is present on mail, credit cards, and identification. Protecting these pieces of information is the first step in reducing your risk of identity theft and fraud.
Provide information only to trusted sources
You should share your information only with trusted sources. If you can't verify the identity of the source asking for your personal information, you should be very cautious about the disclosing any information.
For more information about how to protect your personal information or if you have fallen victim to identity theft, please visit the Federal Trade Commission website