Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft

Are you acting like yourself these days?

The answer could be no. Someone might have stolen your identity -- using your name, address and Social Security number to open accounts, withdraw money and purchase items. Identity theft is expensive, often unknown to victims and increasing rapidly.

Identity theft was the No. 1 consumer complaint logged in 2001 by the Federal Trade Commission. Of 204,000 complaints, 43% were due to identity fraud, more than the number of complaints about Internet auctions, deceptive trial offers and overcharging from Internet companies combined. The FTC estimates that more than 750,000 people a year are victims of identity theft. Even Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods and Warren Buffett have been victims. ...