The heart of protecting yourself against identity theft is being hyper-vigilant about your privacy; going “off the radar” as much as is possible with your personal information. This means getting proactive and taking responsibility for protecting yourself. Fortunately there are a number of simple and effective ways anyone can take for preventing identity theft.

1. Buy a shredder and use it

A home shredder is inexpensive and easily available at any office supply store. Bringing one home is simple; disciplining yourself to use it may not be. Place the shredder near where you receive your mail and immediately shred all offers for credit cards or insurance policies that you receive in the mail. Thieves can and will go through garbage cans to find those offers, fill them out, and develop a line of credit in your name they can exploit and for which you will pay.

2. Change your passwords monthly

All your passwords should be a combination of letters and numbers. Do not use something as obvious as your first name and your birthdate, for instance: Brenda080162. Be creative and keep a master list of all your passwords to all your accounts in a safe place. Once a month, change your passwords and update your list. Never leave your list where it can be exploited, for instance on a home computer connected to the Internet without virus protection and a firewall or loose in your wallet.

3. Don’t fall for email scams and don’t open attachments

“Phishing” emails are messages that try to trick you into divulging information such as: account numbers, passwords, your social security number, or your mother’s maiden name. (Maiden name of the parent is one of the most common “security questions” chosen by users for account confirmation.) Never give out this kind of information. Companies that are on the level won’t ask. Don’t take emails at face value. If you think the message might be legitimate, call the company and ask. Under no circumstances open an attachment to an email unless you are 100% you know what it is and who sent it. Attachments carry viruses and viruses open holes in computers for thieves to break and enter.

4. Opt out of information sharing

When you open a new account at your bank or brokerage, get an insurance policy, or sign up for a new credit card, the institution in question is required by federal law in the United States to provide an “opt out” clause so your personal information cannot be shared. If you don’t see the clause, ask where it is and don’t sign anything until you’re sure you have indeed opted out.

5. Get credit reports direct from the source

Since 2005 by law Americans have the right to one free credit report from each of the major crediting reporting companies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion per year. Do not fall for fraudulent credit reporting companies. They are simply out for your data. Order your reports yourself direct from the source. (Go to annualcreditreport.com for more information.)

6. Don’t talk to telemarketers and think twice about caller ID

Don’t talk to telemarketers. Hang up. Don’t worry about being rude. They’re used to it. The longer you talk, the greater the chances you’ll give away some tidbit of personal information. In the United States, get registered with the national Do Not Call list at donotcall.gov. Also, reconsider using caller idea. Sure, it’s convenient, but it gives everyone you call access to your name and phone number. Look into a service called “per-line blocking,” which will hide your number when you make a call.

7. Don’t trust the phone company

Caller ID isn’t the only way the phone company may be giving out more information that you want them to. They know all your numbers. They know who you call. They know how long you talk. If you don’t make sure that you’ve opted out of “customer proprietary network information” sharing, the phone company may be selling your data to marketing companies. By law, they can’t do it without your permission, but anyone who has shopped online knows that approval boxes are usually checked and it’s your responsibility to un-check them.

8. Don’t trust the post office

Any time you move, do not fill out a permanent change of address form. Use the temporary form, which will forward your mail for one year, giving you more than enough time to make sure that everyone who needs your new address has it. If you fill out the permanent form, the U.S. Postal Service could be passing along your new address to direct marketers for years. All they have to do is pay a fee to have access to the National Change of Address database.

9. Get serious about computer security at work and at home

Don’t use your work computer for any personal business. Your system may be monitored without your knowledge. At home, make sure that you have taken precautions against viruses, hacking, and spyware. With most systems today connected to the Internet via an “always on,” broadband connection, you need to have a firewall installed and encryption enabled on your router. All good computer stores have professionals who can help you set these things up if you don’t know how. Install and update virus software and anti-spyware that will prevent data gathering “cookies” and other bits of malware from living on your system.

10. Get a thumb drive for sensitive data

Don’t leave your most sensitive personal and financial information on your system. Purchase an inexpensive thumb drive that plugs into one of your computer’s USB ports for data storage. When you are not accessing or modifying the data, remove the thumb drive and store it in a secure location. (This is also a great way to insure that you do not lose treasured photographs and other personal data in the event of a crisis. It’s much easier to grab a thumb drive during a hurricane than a personal computer.)

Final Thoughts

By taking active and personal responsibility, you have all the tools you need for preventing identity theft. While all of these measures do require your time and attention, think about how much easier it is to take preventative measures now than it would be to disentangle yourself from the legal and financial morass of a stolen ID later.