This is a turning into a very big issue now a day. Many people don’t understand how big Identify theft really is until they become victims. Currently most identity theft crimes are committed online extremely tech savvy teens at home on their pc at home. If you have a paypal account or buy products online using you credit cards, you increase the risks of being a victim of identify theft just by doing that. I’m not saying not to buy products online, but i am urging everyone to be secured and be aware of where you are submitting you personal info to. Preventing is not hard at all...this can be prevented by using a few simple steps. Check if the site you are logged into has the extra "s" in the url. (https://). This ensures the site is legit and security is enabled when you submit your information. Secondly you must update your anti-virus software always. This may sound as if its not important, but it plays a big roll in protecting yourself from being a victim. Third is the most important step. Get a firewall...Anti-virus only protects you from common viruses and backdoors. Its not hard to get passed a anti-virus program, but its not always easy to get passed all firewalls. Phishing is currently the major root of all identity theft producing emails. The spam you get asking you to verify your paypal account, or verify your credit card number, is not always real. Like I said, check to see if the site legit, if you feel its not, mark it as spam, or report it as a “phishing email” Hope this helped, i know its about protecting yourself online, but i truly feel everyone should know this, because identify theft is not fun at all. It can really cause problems and effect people in many ways. Stay safe : )

Also checking your credit report helps stop identity theft. They have a new website with a free credit report (this one actually is free once a year) annualcreditreport.com. It gives you a chance to check it for free once a year. More and more sites are accepting Paypal for purchases. Paypal is very secure and will not compromise your credit card or checkinga ccount numbers. Also keep an eye out for the secure lock next to your explorer icon.

Tennessee, is the number one state in theft identity. there are many reasons for this and hopefully these reasons will assist you in preventing your personal theft identity. Tennessee drivers license do not require your social security number, but the vast majority of drivers supply it to the state, to be printed on their drivers license. this is voluntary and yes, tennessee is the volunteer state. the point is this: placing your social security number on your drivers license is like giving your pin to the world. once a criminal has stolen your wallet, pocketbook, etc., it is very easy to locate a person, that fits your physical makeup, in order to steal your identity. Request that your social security number, not be printed on any document that is mailed to your home. watch for the mailman and retrieve your mail asap. leaving mail in your mailbox is a great temptation to a thief. when ordering replacement checks, use a local printer and ask if you can personally pickup your checks, from the printer. replacement checks, printed in one state and mailed across the country, are being intercepted by criminals. they look for new printed checks with your drivers license number or social security number imprinted. these new checks represent money in their pockets. never include your drivers license or soc. sec. number on any check. Finally, go buy a quality shredder and shred everything that contains your personal identification. thieves search the trash, hoping to connect with your identification for their personal gain. hope this helps.

Some credit companies sell products to protect against identity theft.

Put a security freeze on your credit! I am a victim, and let me tell you, its impossible to fix, ever! Once one thing shows up on your credit, its already too late. Theres no telling how many other things they've already done. And getting all of the companies to clear your name is impossible. Things reappear on your credit, and you find out new things they did in your name as time goes on. A security freeze requires the creditor to contact you (thru phone, etc.) before granting credit. Its a slight pain because it delays approval. But its well worth it in the end! I wish I would have done it before it was too late.

a credit monitoring agency is a good start... i suppose there is no sure fire way

There's a company called LifeLock that's supposed to help you be more secure.