I don't think that we can go a week without hearing or reading something about identity theft. It's a growing problem in our society that for a long time, was hard to control. Those individuals that have had their identity stolen have spent countless hours working to regain something that was already theirs.

I received a letter in the mail yesterday from USPS with regards to identity theft. I was surprised to hear that only 2% of all id thefts are through the mail, and pleased to know that they are striving to make that number lower. They included some information from the Federal Trade Commission on how to protect yourself from id theft.

It's time for us to take control!

What I like about this piece of information is that it reinforces all the things I tell my clients about controlling the mail and all the paper that comes into the home. If you aren't AWARE of what is coming in, how do you know it's not missing?

Here are just a few tips they listed that I liked, but you can always find a more details on their website.

1. SHRED all financial documents and paper with personal information on them.
2. PROTECT your personal information, like social security number.
3. BE ALERT and aware of when bills are supposed to arrive as expected
4. CLOSE ACCOUNTS that are unused or that have been tampered with.
5. WATCH for phishy emails, no matter how tempting they appear to be.



*image downloaded from the Federal Trade Commission Website.