Identity theft occurs when someone steals personal information and pretends to be you to obtain credit cards, loans, and even jobs by using your work references. Identity thieves only need to know your Social Security number, name, and address to wreck your good credit. Using easily accessible public records, they can learn your place of employment, date of birth, and mother's maiden name. Reporting Identity Theft If you are a victim of identity theft you are not alone. You are just one of those nameless individuals struggling to reclaim their identity. Countless people have been victimized by this crime and have lost everything. So if you are a victim tell other people and tell it to the right people. When identity theft is set for trial, this is no ordinary stealing of one s number, or mere misrepresentation of some data common to salespeople, neither for the reason of lying, commonly mistaken as fraud for easier grounds to legal access. Rather, it is the criminal deeds about the theft done by deception behind that stealing, misrepresentations, or lying. There are countless scams in the web, and it s needless to name them. Always be aware that everybody in cyber is virtually having his own setting for whatever purpose it takes him. The Web is wide open for any kind of good or bad biz intent as almost everybody depicts a persona of anybody, or anything else. Watch for people who may try to eavesdrop and overhear the information you give out orally. Carefully destroy the documents that you throw out, especially those with sensitive or identifying information. A crosscut paper shredder works best. Be suspicious of telephone solicitors that call you at your office. Seems tedious yes but if your wallet is stolen, all your valuable numbers are left vulnerable to unscrupulous thieves who can compromise your identity. A much simpler way of protecting yourself against identity theft through your social security number is by simply being careful when giving it away. Remember that mostly, only government agencies have the right to ask for your social security number.