A crosscut paper shredder works best. Be suspicious of telephone solicitors that call you at your office. Never provide information unless you have initiated the call. Delete and do not reply to any suspicious email requests. Use a locked mailbox at your home to send and receive all mails. Make an effort to reduce the number of preapproved credit card offers that you receive. 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. On average, these policies cost between $25 and $50 for $15,000 to $25,000 worth of coverage. Identity theft insurance provides reimbursement for expenses such as phone bills, lost wages, notary and certified mailing costs and sometimes attorney fees with the prior consent of the insurer. Complaints about identity theft have surged from about 40,000 in 1992 to 750,000 in 1998, according to regulators. They open a new credit card account, using your name, date of birth, and Social Security number. When they use the credit card and don t pay the bills, the delinquent account is reported on your credit report. They call your credit card issuer and, pretending to be you, change the mailing address on your credit card account. Safeguard Against Identity Theft Minimize your risk that someone will get their hands on enough of your information to steal your identity. Melanie Cullen Unfortunately, phishing is a growing way to steal someone s identity. And it s only one way. Identity thieves can take your personal information from your mail box or your home. If they do not appear in court to answer the charges, a warrant of arrest can be issued on your name and sent to your address. Identity theft can be a very disturbing and costly problem. It is all the more important of trying to safeguard your credit information from getting into the wrong hands. You must try not to give your personal information to anybody without checking out on them.