Want to protect your identity like the law officials do? You’ve come to the right place! You’ll find out just how these identity theft criminals plot their scams.

There were nearly 12 million events of identity theft in the United States in 2006, according to the U.S. Postal Service; which cost consumers about $6.3 billion! Consumers certainly raised their awareness after hearing this dreadful statistic; however, there are still consumers who are unaware of the distinctive techniques these identity thieves use. One renowned identity theft revealed, in an extensive interview, the 4 common mistakes she used to take your money!

Mistake #1: All Identity Thieves are Men

This is a very common myth that makes an identity thief’s job so much simpler. One of the main issues is that the media portrays most identity thieves as men. In actuality, most criminals are fashionable and attractive females! You can steer clear from this deception, by closely monitoring your personal data with both women and men. According to researchers, both men and women let their guard down around women, more than they would with men. Remember, everyone is a potential identity thief. You don’t have to become fearful that everyone you meet is a crook, but just be aware.

Misconception # 2 Trusting Your Friendly Store Clerk or Waiter

This one is hard to combat because in most cases you are required to hand over personal information and or documents to store clerks or waiters at restaurants. What you may not know is that some of those people who are waiting on you may in fact have two jobs. By day they work in the local department store but at night they have a side job. Their side job is simply to provide a few customers credit card numbers to their friends. This works so well because they have access to your credit card or account number. The only way to really combat this is to review your account statements. It is also a good idea to keep a journal of expenditures greater than a certain dollar amount.

An example would be $50 this way when your statement comes in the mail, you will quickly notice any anomalies. Think about this. How long does a person have to work at a store or restaurant before theyd have access to hundreds of customers personal data? Hint: Not long at all. According to our identity thief, most people like her take these jobs for a few months and after they have your data, they take an early retirement.”

Mistake #3: Immediately Tossing Out Unopened Junk Mail

Whether you have good credit, great credit or terrible credit, it really does not matter. You will receive in a given month between 12 and 50 plus new offers each month to open new banking, credit accounts. The problem with this is that most of us are lazy. We fall in one of two categories. The first is a person who does not own a personal shredding machine and simply tosses the multiple credit offers in the trash or simply tears them in half and then tosses them. The second is the person who does own a personal shredder but has become too lazy to shred each and every piece of documentation sent to them.

Please note that all these thieves have to do is get a hold of one item of your personal information from your trash can and you’re now a victim! Don’t believe us? Ask yourself, “What am I doing at 3 a.m.?” Then ask what our trusty identity thief is doing at 3 am. Unfortunately our neighborhood identity thief is going through your “junk” mail sifting and preparing to sort your information later. A nice suggestion: After you shred your personal documents, add a little bit of water to the trash and then seal and throw it away. Now your information has been shredded and even wet and soggy, leaving it completely unusable.

Myth# 4: Receiving or Sending Mail from Your Home

Hopefully you’re starting to understand the intensity of this issue. Identity thieves can commit crimes all sorts of ways. Your outgoing credit card payments now become their personal piggy bank. Experts say that some identity thieves are bold enough to fill out a change of address form in the victim’s name, simply to gain complete access to financial and personal information. Here’s a tip: Be sure to drop all outgoing mail at your local United States Postal Service mailbox. You may also think about opening a P.O. Box. Although it may seem like a hassle, you’ll be less stressed than losing your life’s savings; and these are the preventative steps to follow if you want to beat identity theft.

The biggest issue is that there are so many avenues in which to become a victim; stay protected all day every day. Don’t try to fix the problem alone!

Please note, there are not that many people that can protect themselves and their families, successfully, without help. You’ve been trying to do it alone, and it’s not very effective. Wouldn’t it make sense to have someone who has been through what you’ve been through, or better yet, what you DON’T want to go through? Companies like LifeLock provide awesome identity theft solutions for people like you and I.

When selecting a service to monitor and proactively protect your credit, make sure they have been recommended by over and over by top law enforcement personnel and their service has been proven to work in real world situations.

Identity Theft Protection and Identity Theft Prevention are serious issues. You can put an END to identity theft with LifeLock. LifeLock GUARANTEES identity theft will never happen to you. If you would like more information about identity theft protection, please visit lifelock.com.