An old topic, but worth repeating.  This information comes directly from the US Postal Service.  Century 21 used to have their own brochures on Identity Theft which we used to give out and it worked well -- now the Post Office is giving them out.  Shredders make nice gifts....

What is identity theft?

Identity theft occurs when a crook steals key pieces of personal identifying information, which may include a name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and mother's maiden name, to gain access to a person's financial accounts. Armed with this information, an identity thief may open new credit or financial accounts, buy cars, apply for loans or Social Security benefits, rent an apartment, or set up utility and phone service in someone else's name.

Information in this guide comes from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, financial and retail industries, and other members of the Financial Industry Mail Security Initiative (FIMSI).

Add these tips to your "must do" list to protect your identity:

1. Deposit outgoing mail at a Post Office or a blue U.S. Postal Service collection box, or give it directly to your letter carrier.

2. Shred or tear up unwanted documents that contain personal information before discarding them.

3. Review your consumer credit reports annually.

4. Never give personal information over the phone or the Internet unless you initiated the contact.

Postal Inspectors also offer these tips for ID theft protection:

These forms are all available at your local post office or on line -- they are perfect for first time homebuyers, as well as the paper shredder!

• Order your free credit report once a year from each credit bureau to check for accuracy and fraud use. You can order it online at annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.
• Report lost or stolen credit cards to the issuer immediately.
• Sign your new credit cards before someone else does.
• Memorize your Social Security number and passwords; don't carry them with you. Don't use your date of birth as your password.
• Don't ever leave receipts behind at ATMs, on counters at financial institutions, or at gasoline pumps.
• Check expiration dates on credit cards and contact the issuer if you don't get a replacement before they expire. Ditto for monthly financial statements and bills.
• Match credit card receipts against monthly bills and check financial statements for accuracy.

If you suspect you're a victim of ID theft, take action:

• If the crime involved the U.S. Mail, report it online to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov.
• If the crime involved counterfeit credit cards or computer hacking, report it to the U.S. Secret Service.
• Check whether the major credit reporting agencies have accounts in your name that were opened without your consent. Ask them to place a "fraud alert" on your file.
• You may be advised to close some or all of your accounts. At the least, change your PIN codes and passwords immediately.
• Keep a record of the names and phone numbers of people with whom you discussed your case, and of all reports and supporting documents.
• Report ID theft online with the Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft, or call its Identity Theft Hotline at
  1-877-IDTHEFT. The FTC has counselors to help you resolve financial and other problems that can result from this crime.

Keep your personal information safe from online prowlers. Here's how:

The Internet offers a convenient way to conduct business. To ensure you use it safely, never input your credit card or other financial account numbers at a Web site unless it offers a secure transaction. A secure (or "encrypted") transaction will have these two features:

1. An icon of a lock appears in the bottom strip of the Web browser page.

2. The URL address for the Web page changes from "http" to "https" for the page at which you input the personal data.

3. Report credit card fraud to one of the major credit reporting agencies, either online or by phone. (Due to a recent change designed to help consumers, you can report the incident to any of the three agencies, as they now share a common database.)

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

www.equifax.com

Experian: 1-888-397-3742

www.experian.com

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

www.transunion.com

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. Learn how to protect yourself.

Visit these Web sites for more information on ID theft:

U.S. Postal Inspection Service: http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov

Federal Trade Commission: www.consumer.gov/idtheft

U.S. Secret Service: www.secretservice.gov

Department of Justice: www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: www.fdic.gov/consumers

Web sites for credit card companies:

American Express: www10.americanexpress.com

Discover: www.discovercard.com/discover/data/products

MasterCard: www.mastercard.com/education/fraud

Visa: www.usa.visa.com/personal

Other publications with information on ID theft:

ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name
Federal Trade Commission
1-877-ID-Theft

Identity Theft
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
1-800-409-1333

Identity theft: How bad people get good credit.

For more information about the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, call toll-free 1-877-876-2455, or visit our Web site at
http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov.

CHIEF POSTAL INSPECTOR
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
475 L'ENFANT PLAZA SW RM 3100
WASHINGTON DC 20260-2100

ATLANTA DIVISION
PO BOX 16489
ATLANTA GA 30321-0489

BOSTON DIVISION
495 SUMMER ST STE 600
BOSTON MA 02210-2114

CHARLOTTE DIVISION
PO BOX 3000
CHARLOTTE NC 28228-3000

CHICAGO DIVISION
433 W HARRISON ST RM 50190
CHICAGO IL 60669-2201

DENVER DIVISION
1745 STOUT ST STE 900
DENVER CO 80299-3034

DETROIT DIVISION
PO BOX 330119
DETROIT MI 48232-6119

FT WORTH DIVISION
14800 TRINITY BLVD STE 600
FT WORTH TX 76155-2675

HOUSTON DIVISION
650 N SAM HOUSTON PKY WEST
HOUSTON TX 77067-4336

LOS ANGELES DIVISION
PO BOX 2000
PASADENA CA 91102-2000

MIAMI DIVISION
3400 LAKESIDE DR 6TH FL
MIRAMAR FL 33027-3242

NEWARK DIVISION
PO BOX 509
NEWARK NJ 07101-0509

NEW YORK DIVISION
PO BOX 555
NEW YORK NY 10116-0555

PHILADELPHIA DIVISION
PO BOX 7500
PHILADELPHIA PA 19101-9000

PHOENIX DIVISION
PO BOX 20666
PHOENIX AZ 85036-0666

PITTSBURG DIVISION
1001 CALIFORNIA AVE
PITTSBURG PA 15290-9000

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION
PO BOX 882528
SAN FRANCISCO CA 94188-2528

SEATTLE DIVISION
PO BOX 400
SEATTLE WA 98111-4000

WASHINGTON DIVISION
10500 LITTLE PATUXENT PKWY 2ND FL
COLUMBIA MD 21044-3509

Publication 280, December 2007
PSN 7610-05-000-0653

Members of the public may order copies by calling 1-800-332-0317 and selecting option 4 twice.