Guard against growing problem of identity theft

Identity theft -- it's a growing problem nationwide and one that seems to increase around the holidays and around the first of the year.

More than 30 million Americans have become victims in the last five years.

Law enforcement, credit agencies, banking and lending institutions have been getting out the word that each of us needs to be more careful.

All types of "white-collar" crime are seemingly on the increase and especially those involving identity theft.

Unscrupulous people are going through our trash looking for whatever can help them succeed in perpetrating consumer fraud.

In some cities, reports are prevalent that checks have been written on accounts that have been closed for some time.

Suspicious behavior around waste collection and recycling sites has resulted in unauthorized checks being written on citizen's accounts.

Information can be stolen from you by going through your mail or trash to taking pre-approved credit card offers and discarded credit card receipts, calling you on the phone and posing as a solicitor to gain your personal information including your date of birth and social security number, or watching when you access your account at an ATM to steal your account number and password.

Past tax records also can hold promise for thieves who try to parlay that information into cash at your expense.

Bogus websites have sprung up to "cash in" on the new health care law as a number of Medicare recipients find themselves victims.

To guard against becoming a victim, officials suggest purchasing a crosscut shredder and destroying all documents with financial and personal information.

In addition to shredding past tax records, credit card receipts, prescription labels, and bank statements, old receipts and utility bills and new credit card offers, you should keep a list of your credit card account numbers and bank accounts so in an emergency, you can notify these companies quickly to stop fraudulent charges or purchases.

Keep a minimum number of credit cards when shopping and don't carry important documents with you unless absolutely necessary.

If you think you are a victim, contact the credit card companies who are reporting the false debt and have them investigate.

You should also contact all three credit-reporting agencies to get as much information as possible and contact law enforcement to report the problem.

Keep a record of your efforts.

Protect yourself by being aware of the potential problems.

Shred those documents.

More information can be found at the Federal Trade Commission's website, www.consumer.ftc.gov.