Any holder of information identifiers of social security number, credit cards, bank account number, driver s license, health care, and other financial sources is at risk. Everyone is vulnerable, offline or online. Households, telephone booths, and garbage areas are common places where criminals loiter around to look for their prey. Identity theft can also occur if you have the habit of giving your personal information over the internet. Even keeping your Social Security number on your wallet can make you a victim of identity theft once your wallet is stolen. If you leave your mails at home or in the office, anyone can steal it and may be able to get personal information from it through your credit records, bank and other bill statements. Guard your personal information. You should never give your Social Security number to anyone unless they have a good reason for needing it. 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. How Your Online Identity Can Cause Harm? Who will not avail convenience of online services if you have the facilities for it? Being online has made two dimensions of physical and virtual lives, working to meet and accomplish business negotiations. Online transactions saved amount of time and effort like no other methods can. Most of them are not successful in their own fields, felt disgusted instead, creating menace in the worldwide website traffic to gain advantage for their own end. Online theft may act individually, or could be manipulated by a group in one single website name. Survey consortium in the U. S. have developed means to coordinate with the FTC (Federal Trade Commissions) in order to establish a complete record of crime complaints in online deceptions, that starts with scam messages. Remember that other than government agencies, no one else should be given your sensitive numbers although some may ask for it. For instance, banks and other financial institutions may need your social security number to check on your credentials. This is not completely secure but some institutions will offer identity theft protection for a fee and perhaps it's better to do business with financial institutions like these for proper risk management.