If you have the access and the interest, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and one of my personal favorites, the Privacy Rights Clearing House, have useful information (they provided the information below).

According to the Better Business Bureau, the average cost of identity theft is $422, and in 2006, the average consumer spends 40 hours straightening it all out. The balance (the average fraud per case is $6,383.00) is borne by businesses, which then pass it on to consumers via higher prices, etc. Even though many homeowners’ policies have some indemnification against identity theft, depending on how you value your time, the cost of a P.O. Box seems like relatively cheap insurance.

One of my favorite strategies is to limit the amount of your information that gets out there.

1-888-5OPT OUT will allow you to opt out of having your credit information used for marketing purposes (it will not, however, prevent legitimate users from accessing your credit report). Also, take advantage of the opt out option financial institutions provide to you in their annual privacy policy.

Writing to the Direct Marketing Association mail preference service will notify marketers who care that you are not interested in receiving mail from them (may save a tree or two as well) — you can get a form online (it’s free if you send it in, $5 if you file electronically). Or drop a line to:

You can also email Abacus at optout@abacus-direct.com to opt out of their marketing database.

Don’t carry your social security number with you. Ask that your social security number not be used for identification whenever possible (some employers still put social security numbers on paychecks).

Consider setting up direct deposit of payments when possible, and electronic payments for bills (this can also be a good way to cut down on late fees). I don’t have data to support this, but my techie friends say that the online bill pay at many banks isn’t all that secure, and I have set up many of my automatic bill pays directly with the company I want to pay (old habit from when they used to charge for online banking). If you’re concerned about being able to track your bank activity without paper, I would be happy to give a talk on balancing a check book if someone in our community will provide the space.

Speaking of the Internet – most reputable companies don’t ask for personal information via email. Don’t use links provided by an unsolicited email. If you think the email is legitimate type in the web address of the company in your address bar. Many commercial websites will also have information about known phishing scams against their clients.

Look at the privacy policy of websites when you supply your information. Sites that ask for personal information generally have a SSL certificate. Your browser will show a closed padlock, and the address will start https instead of http. Also, many websites display web seals (truste, BBBOnline Privacy, WebTrust, etc.) that they are allowed to use only if they comply with security and other guidelines of the issuing organization. Also, check the security settings on your browser, and regularly update your firewall and virus software.

In addition to the above strategies that limit the amount of your information “out there,” please shred (or burn, for my fellow woodstove users) any documents you no longer need that have your information on them.

One final strategy, visit annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8828 to get your free copy (once a year) of your credit report and read it.

If you become a victim of identity theft, report it immediately (You can order FTC publication “Take charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft” online or by mail from:

I hope some of this will be useful to you. Let's make life a little harder for the criminals.