My name and home address were printed in the phone book for many years until I switched to mobile phone only. Why are people so afraid to give out their address? It is ridiculous.

Your address alone is not a problem. After all, it's printed on every envelope that you and 100 million others toss into the recycle bin every day. It's a problem when somebody gets not only your name and address but also your birth date and your Social Security Number (SSN). That's all they need to clone you ("steal your identity"). It happened to me a couple years ago, and it took about a year to clear it up. First, whoever got my ID sold it (with hundreds of others) via the underground internet criminal gangs. They collect stolen ID's and sell them, $10 or $20 per hundred. Immediately, accounts and purchases under my name began popping up around the country. First I got a bill from Dell Computer demanding payment of ~$1200 for "computer accessories." Somebody had opened a credit account in my name with Dell, and Dell wanted their money. Then I got a letter from my bank. They had reduced my HELOC (home equity loan) limit by 2/3. They didn't explain why, but I learned later it was based on a negative credit report, which in turn resulted from purchases made without my knowledge after the ID theft. There were over a dozen illegal purchases in my name. I got letters from creditors all over the country, demanding payment. The worst was quite clever. A guy living in Colorado got my ID, which showed me living in Seattle, and he put in a change of address to his own residence in CO. Then he purchased a used SUV for $24k. He took out a loan using my name, address, SSN, and birthdate. Everything checked out, including the phony "change of address," and he drove away in the SUV. I got wind of it when a collection agency in Texas began calling me and demanding payment. I hung up on her, thinking she had a wrong number. She called back. I told her to leave me alone and hung up again. She called back and she read my ID to me over the phone and it was MY ID. That time I didn't hang up. A couple days later, a big sedan pulled up in front, blocking my driveway. The driver looked like Harry Dean Stanton in "Repo Man" :). He was the Real McCoy. Before the guy could get out of his car I was out there taking pictures of him, his car, his license plates, and a closeup of his face. All the while I was shouting questions at him, demanding to know who he was, who sent him, what did he want, and "Show me some ID!" He actually pulled his wallet out and showed me his ID. :) After a minute or two he muttered, "I don't need this," and he drove away. When somebody steals your ID and makes purchases, YOU are legally liable for the purchase amount unless YOU can prove your innocence. Every company will keep demanding payment until you have satisfied their attorneys that you did not make the purchase. In general, they require a notarized affidavit, a police report, and photocopies of your ID. I had to do that a dozen times, filling out forms, getting them notarized, and faxing the package to the collection agency. My local bank officials were very helpful (WAMU). They did all the notarizing and faxing, and they didn't charge me a cent. I love those guys. :) Everyone reading this should order a free copy of their credit report. You'll be surprised to see what's on it that you didn't know about.