According to Valley Business Bank’s Mark Shelton, an expert on identity theft, you can avoid becoming a victim, or at least minimize the consequences should you be unable to avoid it. Here’s how:

• Copy the contents in your wallet and keep the copies in a safe, locked place. This way if your wallet is stolen you know exactly what is stolen and will also have the phone numbers on the back of your card to call and report them stolen right away.

• Bank online and check your account often—daily if possible—to identify any activity that is not yours and to confirm the accuracy of transactions you did have.

• Pay bills online. This cuts down the amount of checks going through the mail and outside sources seeing your personal information. Online bill paying sites through your bank are very safe.

• Consider adding anti-spyware software that will keep increasingly tech-savvy thieves from hacking your computer.

• Do not give out personal information in e-mails that you get from anyone you don’t know very well. Bank and credit card companies will only ask this information on their secure sites.

• Check your credit card activity online once a week to check for any suspicious transactions.

• Ask the major credit bureaus to flag your credit report in a way that requires lenders to contact you for verification before any new accounts are opened. You can even freeze your credit altogether.

• Shred mail before you toss it in the recycle bin—or at least tear it up if you don’t have a shredder.

• Check your credit report at least once per quarter to ensure that nothing looks suspicious. And do not have more credit cards than you absolutely need.

• Be Aware. This will go a long way in preventing theft happening to you. Thieves look for the unsuspecting.

If Your Identity is Stolen

• Notify your bank immediately.

• Send a letter to the major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion).

• Notify law enforcement and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

• Don’t ignore your potentially damaged credit. It will not go away on its own.

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