Chances are, you’ll catch yourself using the phrase “protect yourself” many times throughout with your kids, and with good reason. While none of us wants to go through life paranoid, the fact is that there are some really mean people out there who don’t really care who they hurt as long as they get whatever it is that they want at the moment. These days, there’s a lot of buzz about identity theft protection.

We don’t know about you, but until recently, we couldn’t imagine what in the world anyone would want to do with our identity (much less our kids’). Fortunately, we found out before anyone had actually stolen our identity. There are many reasons to get identity theft protection, but here are the main ones:

• Identity theft protection helps stop thieves from using your credit card online without your knowledge.
• Identity theft protection stops identity thieves from opening up new credit or charge accounts in your name.
• Identity theft protects you from people obtaining false ID with your information, potentially saving you from answering for any number of crimes you didn’t commit.
• Identity theft protection usually pays you if someone does manage to steal your identity.

Of course, your identity isn’t the only thing in your life you need to protect. These days, we teach our kids to protect themselves almost before they can walk.

When they start riding a bike, we teach them to wear helmets and knee pads. We remember tempting fate itself by riding our bikes with no protection whatsoever.

When our kids get to be teens, we give them the old birds and bees speech, but we make sure to include a chapter on how to protect themselves. After all, there are all kinds of nasty stuff going around these days.

As kids grow into young adults, they learn to protect themselves with various forms of insurance. We teach them (hopefully) to protect their house, their car, their health, and just about anything else with a dollar value attached.

We’re a little behind the curve when it comes to teaching the younger generation to protect their identity, though. Most young people simply don’t realize how much damage can be done to them I someone gets hold of their personal information.  So, while we’re teaching them to protect themselves in other ways, let’s make sure that we’re also teaching them to protect their identities.

One of the techniques that companies offering identity theft protection use to try to keep your identity safer and to keep criminals from opening up new accounts in your name is to use a fraud alert. A fraud alert is a 90-day hold on your file with the credit reporting agencies. What it essentially does for you is require that creditors who want to give you a new account have to go through some extra steps to verify that you really are who you say you are. The idea is that the identity thief, then, won’t have access to enough information to open the account.

In short, a fraud alert is a warning flag on your credit file that lets creditors take extra precautions. However, there has been some speculation that placing a fraud alert on your credit report will, in some way or another, harm your credit scores.

In fact, someone actually sued an identity theft protection company, claiming that their use of fraud alerts caused his credit score to be lowered.

Do fraud alerts affect your credit score?

This, of course, raises an important question. Is the person filing the lawsuit correct? Did his credit score drop because of fraud alerts placed on his credit report from the identity theft protection company?

According to a spokesman for TransUnion, one of the credit reporting agencies, fraud alerts don’t harm your credit score in any way whatsoever. The FICO formula that has been developed to calculate a credit score as an indicator of a person’s credit worthiness doesn’t take fraud alerts into account.

There may be other harmful effects

There are some ways that those fraud alerts could cause some difficulty for you in other ways. For example, it might slow down how long it takes for you to be able to get a loan. Add to that the fact that these alerts are now being used as a safeguard rather than as a response to a specific threat or incident, the lender may pay less attention to the alerts overall.

Ultimately, there are more effective methods of identity theft protection than a fraud alert, and many of the major identity theft protection companies have stopped using them altogether.

In the days of old, they locked their doors or turned the sheriff loose on thieves. These days, we need identity theft protection to protect us from the most nefarious criminals of our day.

History and legend alike are replete with examples of outlaws who have won our hearts. In some cases, it was because they committed their crimes to benefit the poor and downtrodden. In other cases, it may simply be that we wish we had the guts to do what they do. In any case, here is our list of our XX favorite thieves of all time:

1. Robin Hood. The noble outlaw of England’s Sherwood Forrest robbed from the rich and gave to the poor, displaying amazing acts of daring do and unthinkable skill with the English longbow in the process. Together with his band of merry men, Robin Hood claims the top spot of our all time favorite thieves.
2. Bilbo Baggins. The original hobbit, Bilbo Baggins took his turn at thievery when he stole the ring from Golem’s cave while on his way to slay the dragon Smaug. What ensues is perhaps the best trilogy in the history of mankind.
3. Bonnie and Clyde. There are bank robbers, and then there are bank robbers. Bonnie and Clyde robbed banks with a swagger and style that just wouldn’t have been possible outside of the 1930s.
4. The Artful Dodger. Never mind the sniveling little orphan brat. The Artful Dodger had style. Not only could he pick a pocket or two, but he could charm the socks off of the lady thieves while doing it.
5. Jesse James. No, not the tattooed knucklehead who works on motorcycles. We mean the real Jesse James. The son of a Baptist preacher, you could say he went astray, but you’d be understating things a bit. Jesse and his brother Frank returned from the Civil War full of piss and vinegar and started a reign of terror that stretched all the way north to Minnesota.
6. Don Corleone. This guy had a sense of honor a mile long, which is what made all of us love The Godfather, even though he was the worst kind of thug in most respects. We thought about leaving him off of this list, but he made us an offer we couldn’t refuse.
7. The identity thief. What’s that? You don’t really like this one? Well, you might as well invite him over to dinner and hand him your credit cards if you don’t have identity theft protection.

Most of us are somewhat flattered when we realize that someone thinks enough of us that they try to imitate us in one way or another. Of course, there are times when it gets out of hand, and an entire industry is rising up to offer us identity theft protection from illegal imitation. Most of us tend to believe that identity theft is a distant crime that happens to “someone else”, but reality paints a different picture.

The truth is that identity theft protection has become available for one simple reason: it’s necessary. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States, and is also growing rapidly around the world. While you might not mind someone imitating you, you certainly don’t want them imitating you with a credit card.

Don’t get us wrong. If you are the victim of identity theft, the criminal is complementing you, albeit in a rather nasty way. Frankly, identity thieves aren’t interested in stealing the identities of people with don’t pay their bills or who have bad credit. No, they’d much rather steal the identity of upstanding citizens with good credit.

Unfortunately, identity thieves aren’t interested in imitating you for flattery’s sake. We’re talking about your money, your credit, and your good name. Depending on what exactly an identity thief is planning on doing with your information, all of these and more could be at stake.

Some typical things identity thieves do with your information include:

• Take out credit cards in your name.
• Get cash advances on your current credit cards.
• File tax returns.
• Procure false IDs. An identity thief can, for all intents and purposes “become” you in extreme cases.

The worst part about this unflattering form of imitation is that it can take quite some time before you realize what’s going on. Fortunately, companies who specialize in identity theft protection know what to look for and can generally prevent identity theft or, even in the worst case, catch it before the thief has time to do much damage.

Most of us have medical insurance to protect us from the cost of health care, automobile insurance to protect us from the financial liability of an auto accident, and home insurance to protect us against loss of our home. In today’s world, it just makes sense to also insure yourself against identity theft.

Identity theft is a serious thing, and it’s important to do what you can to be diligent about identity theft protection. The fact of the matter is that identity theft can lead to some disastrous consequences, and not just financially. When an identity thief uses your identity to commit a crime, for example, your name becomes an alias for that person, which can cause trouble with background checks and more, sometimes for decades.

How new account fraud works

One of the most common and one of the most dangerous types of identity theft is new account fraud. New account fraud works like this:

1. An identity thief steals your personal information, such as your social security number, address, bank account numbers, credit card numbers and/or background information.
2. She then uses that personal information to open up new accounts. It might be a credit card account, a line of credit, or in some cases even a personal loan or mortgage.
3. She then goes on a spending spree, racking up debt in your name.

What you can do

There are some things you can do in order to keep new account fraud from happening, or at least combat it more quickly when it does happen.

Fraud alerts are one of those things. A fraud alert is a signal to any creditor that they should take extra steps to verify the identity of someone applying for credit. An alert can be created for 90 days with the credit reporting agencies. When you call one of the three major credit reporting agencies, that company is required to notify the other two.

Another option is the credit freeze. When you do a credit freeze, no company can look at your credit files unless you already have an account with them. This shuts down the vast majority of new account fraud, because creditors usually want to look at your credit file before they give you any credit. The rules on a credit freeze vary from one state to the next, and there is usually a fee involved.

In our modern age, even theft has lost some of its glamour. Don’t get us wrong, if you are on the receiving end of a theft, there’s nothing glamorous about it, and there never has been. Whether it’s your identity someone is stealing (you should have purchased identity theft protection) or your heirlooms (you should have bought better locks), there is little that can make you feel more violated than someone taking what rightfully belongs to you.

Still, all throughout history, we have had romantic notions of our outlaws, and some of them we cast in a heroic light. Here are some of our favorite thieves of all time:

• Robin Hood. We all love the underdog, and when you have someone who robs from the rich and gives to the poor, it’s hard not to pull for them. Of course, no one knows for sure if he was a real person or not. We suspect that there was a historical Robin of Locksley, though we figure the stories about him got bigger with each retelling, if you know what we mean.
• Ali Baba. You have to love a guy with the ingenuity to steal from other thieves. Ali Baba, of course, stole from the 40 thieves, making himself rich in the process. In the end, old Ali is living comfortably and the thieves are brought to justice. Not too shabby.
• Bonny and Clyde. We know, they were gangsters, and dangerous people. We also know that it hurts everybody when banks get robbed. Still, bad as they were, Bonny and Clyde managed to be sexy while committing their crimes.
• The Artful Dodger. Of course, he’s fictional, but the Artful Dodger is still one of the most colorful thieves throughout time. We recommend the musical version, by Lionel Bert over the Dickensian version.
• Long John Silver. He switches sides occasionally, but by the time you learn that he’s a pirate, you’ve already become attached to the character.

You will notice, of course, that identity thieves don’t appear on our list. They probably never will. There is simply nothing appealing at all about someone who sits at a computer and ruins someone else’s life by using their identity. Appealing or not, though, this is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world today, to the point that it’s almost silly to bother locking your doors if you aren’t also going to invest in identity theft protection.

Identity theft protection is serious business. When you’re the victim of identity theft, your life can be turned upside down. Depending on the circumstances, you can face financial and even legal problems in the future because of identity theft.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to help get identity theft protection. The first thing you need to do is understand exactly how identity theft occurs, and what the most common identity theft traps look like.

Here are some of the most common identity theft techniques:

• Phishing. This occurs when you get an email that claims to be from a financial institution or other business. They give you a link that asks for your username and password. The email is actually from an identity thief who wants to get access to an online account of yourse (such as PayPal or eBay).
• Smishing. This is like phishing, but it’s with a text message instead of an email. They are most effective with iPhones and other smartphones.
• Vishing. This is voice phishing. Someone calls you and asks you for personally identifying information. They may claim to be from your financial institution, or they may claim that you’ve won a contest or a prize of some sort.
• Spoofing. Sometimes, hackers will break in and drive traffic from a legitimate web site to a fake website. So, you’ll try to log into Facebook, but your computer will take you to the hacker’s site where they will steal your login information. From there, they’ll have access to plenty of personal information they can use to steal your identity.
• Spyware. Some types of software can infect your computer without you even knowing it. You might install a game, and a hacker somewhere is recording your keystrokes including things like credit card numbers or bank account logins.
• Digging through the trash. Believe it or not, it does happen. Make sure to shred any important documents before tossing them out, and fully destroy your old credit cards when it’s time to dispose of them.

One of the most common, and oldest, types of identity theft is the simple stealing of your checkbook. Someone gets ahold of your checkbook and writes checks, pretending to be you and signing your name. All of the identity theft protection services in the world can’t stop someone with a convincing fake ID and your checkbook.

So, when you have a check go missing or lose your checkbook, you’ve got some choices to make. You can contact the bank and have them place a stop payment hold on that check. This will cause the bank to refuse payment on the check if it’s presented.

Not a permanent solution

Unfortunately, most banks won’t keep the stop payment on a check for more than six months. That might not sound so bad, because most banks won’t cash a check that’s more than six months old. However, that’s not a hard and fast rule. If a teller decides that the check looks good, even if it’s seven months old, many banks will give them some leeway in cashing the check. And that’s where that stolen check can come back to bite you.

Keep on stopping

The obvious solution is to put another stop payment on the check after six months. The problem with this is that, unless you’ve filed a police report for a stolen check, chances are pretty good that your bank is going to require you to pay a fee each time you want to put a stop payment on. You could be looking at almost $80 in fees, just to protect yourself.

How long should it go on?

There’s no easy answer to this question. At some point, you probably don’t want to continue paying $30 or $40 every six months to protect yourself. Eventually, you’ve got to decide if the risk that someone will write a check is worth it. After all, if they do write the check, most checking account agreements only hold you responsible for a certain dollar value in that transaction. Often, it’s less than what the first two stop payment requests would add up to be.

Identity theft is extremely common nowadays with the web and all the financial info being passed around on it, yet there are still some very dumb identity theft scams that people have fallen for.  It is amazing how some of the simplest things you do online can allow someone to steal your identity, and what is even more amazing is that some of these scams actually worked. Here are some interesting stories on various identity theft scams and why they worked.

1. Cyber Coyote – This blog has a lot of information about identity theft, phishing, toll free scams and others and shares why people are attracted to these scams.
2. Scambusters – This is a blog about identity theft scams that are popular and works more often than people want to admit.
3. Beyond Identity Theft – This post discusses why some people are so easily scammed and how far the scams will go to prey upon them.
4. Fraud Aid – This is a blog that pertains to secret shopper and check cashing identity scams and why they work.
5. Identification Theft – This is a post about how people are scammed through their own admission of private information in various identity scams.
6. IdentityTheft911 – This blog has stories about people who have been scammed through social networking and internet dating sites and lost more than a date.
7. SpendonLife – This post features identity theft scams that offer people opportunities to work at home and why greed and lethargy play a big role in the success of these scams.
8. Guardian – This article discusses the top 10 most successful identity theft scams in the UK right now and reasons why people fall for them.
9. Wallet Pop – This is an informative article about identity theft scams that target children, particularly infants, senior citizens, and everyday people who think they can make a quick buck.
10. Credit Identity safe – This is a blog about identity scams against the elderly, including victims stories, why they fall for these scams and how the scammers get what they want.
11. Hoax & Scam Watch – This is a post that includes different examples of identity theft scams and personal stories of victims.
12. Be Scam Free – This blog includes lots of different types of identity scams from very simple to very complex and the reasons why they are so effective.
13. CashMoneyLife – This is a post about identity theft scams and how to avoid becoming a victim and learning from those who have already suffered losses.
14. ITRC – This blog has new kinds of identity theft scams that have been using the names of government agencies and officials to seem more legitimate.
15. idExperts – This blog features stories from victims and dispels common myths about identity theft scams.
16. CFE-Arizona – This is a list and explanation of the “dirty dozen” or the dumbest identity scams that the state of Arizona has come across.
17. essortment – This article has popular identity theft scams under the microscope, victim blunders, and the scammers are so successful.
18. Consumer Fraud Reporting – This is a post of the top ten identity theft scams and an explanation of what types of people will fall for these scams and how scammers are rewarded.
19. The Daily Dollar – This blog specifically talks about phishing, a popular identity theft scam that preys on the victim’s insecurities or stupidity and steps to avoid it.
20. Sonnica – This is a blog written by an expert in his field that sees identity scams in his profession every day and teaches readers how to avoid them.
21. Stock Market News – This is a blog about “penny scams,” how they work, who the typical victim is and how to avoid them.
22. Epic Toon Blog – This is an article with examples of a very widespread identity theft scam related to the World of Warcraft game.
23. iSlaPent – This is an informative blog about how high income investors are scammed easily and often with Forex identity theft scams.
24. OK Bar Association – This is a post about check cashing scams, how they work, who is victimized, and why they work.
25. USPRWire – This is a blog that takes the reader step by step through a fake antivirus identity scam to demonstrate how elaborate it is, who gets scammed, and how to avoid losing your private information.
26. Vacation Rental Owner Blog – This is a post about what happens when scammers use cash, prizes, and free vacations to lure the unsuspecting into debt with a vacation identity scam.
27. Smarter Travel – This post is about scams that victimize travelers who are preyed upon for their ignorance and scammed out of their identities, money, and more.
28. Schneier on Security – This is a blog written by a security pro who takes you through what it is like to be scammed on a social networking site and have your identity stolen.
29. Suite101 – This is a blog about women who are easily victimized by con men on internet dating websites and lose their identities, money, and sometimes jobs.
30. WiseBread – This is a personal account of a couple who were victims of identity theft with a credit card scam.
31. Phoenix New Times – This is an interesting article about a company that is supposed to aid consumers in protection against scams and have been scamming their customers all along.
32. Quick cash Kit review – This is a post about the author’s experience with the quick cash scams and how they work to get personal information from people.
33. Financial Highway – This blog gives examples of identity fraud that victimizes people desperate for work or profit and tips on how to spot and avoid them.
34. Work At Home No Scams – This blog talks about a combination identity theft and reshipping scam that not only makes the victim dumb to fall for but puts them at risk for mail fraud themselves.
35. Family Matters Blog – This is a blog about the US Army warning its soldiers about an internet romance identity scam that apparently many lonely soldiers and lonely women in the states have fallen for.
36. Fight Identity Theft – In this story, the victim was just as guilty as the scammer because he scammed his own company to pay the person originating the identity theft.
37. The Clark Howard Show – The author of this blog has often been used in a variety of identity scams that people have actually fallen for.
38. MoneySmart Life – In this blog the reasons why people are victims of identity theft and how they get scammed are explained.
39. A Photo Editor – This is a blog about a scam that the author has come across involving photo editing and the victim‘s identity and money are stolen and no photos are ever processed.
40. Sileo – This is a blog about a very popular identity theft scam on the social networking site facebook and victimizes application junkies.
41. The WordPress Wizard – This is a blog about a now famous Facebook “dislike” button scam with examples of how it victimizes your “friends.”
42. Dumb With Scam – This blog addresses eBay identity theft scams and why people who are too trusting of the service will be victimized.
43. NewsDaily – This is the story of a man that was scammed of his personal identity and thousands of dollars because he unknowingly signed up with a large scale mortgage scam.
44. LoveMoney – The author takes a look into his inbox and talks about common identity and phishing scams and how to avoid falling prey.
45. USAHitman – This post is a personal account of identity theft and how and why he fell victim.
46. GeekTown – This is a story about common Facebook identity theft scams that are passed around as “likes” and videos and phish for personal information.
47. Scam.com – This blog allows users to lament about how they have been scammed or almost fell victim to a scam claiming they will be employed from home but really wanted their personal data.

Image Credits: CarbonNYC

Identity theft is an extremely frightening term, even more frightening are the statistics associated with the crime. Every 28 minutes, someone in the US falls victim to identity theft; and if that wasn’t scary enough, every 79 seconds a thief steals personal data, uses it to open false accounts, and goes on a buying spree. In 2009 alone, there were 11.1 million recorded reports of identity theft. This epidemic is affecting more than just the everyday individual; $22 billion a year are lost by businesses who also become victimized.

With the overwhelming power and technology of the Internet, many Americans believe the majority of theft occurs online; however, this is not the case. Being aware of the security risks of Internet usage may not be enough to keep you safe, 68% of identity theft still occurs by conventional methods; I.e.: stealing your mail, losing your wallet, etc. On average it takes a victim 12 months to even notice their identity has been stolen, allowing the damage already done to seem irrevocable. That being said, the road to recovery will not be a short one, but it will have an end. Each identity crime can be as unique as a set of fingerprints, but some of the same tips for prevention and recovery can be used in several separate occasions.

Here are a few stories of identity theft, along with informative sites to help defend, detect, and deter identity crimes.

1. Wright-Patt Credit Union: Two women, who happened to be co-workers, found themselves victims of identity theft; both became aware while attempting to purchase new cars. This site highlights their stories, along with giving detailed advice on how to recover from this type of personal attack.
2. Trusted ID: This identity theft protection company features an article on their blog about a billionaire identity theft victim. Forbes’ 45th wealthiest man in the world had his $1.4 million federal tax-return check stolen by an identity thief, visit the blog to see how.
3. Rough Notes: This is an incredible story of a man who was sued for child support for a child born to a woman he had never met! An illegal alien had stolen his name and social security number and was using them to file his taxes, get a drivers license and apply for loans. The site also features helpful tips on how to prevent identity theft, and what to do in the event your identity is stolen.
4. Identity Protection 101: Whether you are searching for education, protection, or restoration from identity theft; this site has it all. Also included are some interesting victim stories, including a woman who renewed her drivers license through the mail, and was shocked to receive her new license with someone else’s face on it.
5. ID Expert: This blog site is run by a leading provider of identity theft protection and recovery services.
6. KnightsBridge: This company, specializing in personal information security management and risk reduction, features a blog with articles on prevention, detection, and recovery from id theft.
7. Identity Theft Manifesto: If you like videos, this is the site for you. This informative site features several videos on current scams, and how to recover should you fall victim to them.
8. Sileo: John Sileo, an identity theft expert speaker, learned from experience, loosing $300,000 due to a data breach. Learn how he recovered along with some other tips on business security survival.
9. Fight Identity Theft: Identity theft 101, featuring everything you need to know about id theft, including a section dedicated for viewers to post their id theft cases and ask the public for their opinions.
10. Ask the Advisor: This blog features a 24-point recovery checklist for those who have been a victim of identity theft.
11. Mahalo: How do you recover from identity theft? Check this page out for their six steps to recovery, along with a video from the Bureau of Consumer Protection.
12. Identity Theft Fixes: This site features a collection of articles all geared to help in recovery from a criminal identity theft crime. Learn how to deal with debt collectors, prepare for possible IRS audits, and prove you are the victim.
13. Fight Identity Theft: Visit this site to read their seven guidelines to id theft recovery, and find out how to limit your liability for any charges you may incur during the process.
14. InfoFAQ: View such topics as, “Coping With ID Theft”, “Recovery Steps”, and “Re-establishing Credit” on this informative site filled with guides.
15. The Survivors Club: When faced with identity theft it is important to remember that you are not alone. Visit the Survivors Club for helpful information on surviving and thriving through your journey.
16. Infopackets: This step-by-step survival guide for victims of id theft suggests that while the attack can be quite traumatic, gaining your identity back doesn’t have to be as painful.
17. Identity Theft Scenarios: Sometimes learning from others stories is the best way to prevent the same fate for yourself. Visit this site to review several identity theft stories, including those where the victims knew the thief, and others where it was a random act.
18. BCS Alliance: Have you ever heard of someone stealing your identity to open credit cards, but paying all the bills on time, or paying them at all for that matter? Read about the IRS agent who did just that when she had trouble with her own credit.
19. Identity Theft: The Michelle Brown Story: This woman’s plight with identity theft was the basis for a made-for-tv movie on the Lifetime channel.
20. Bloomshare: Uncover links to personal stories of identity theft, and see how they all individually recovered from their attacks.
21. Credit Report: Get help restoring your credit after an identity crime from this credit score site. Also features a newsletter with true stories of identity theft.
22. Identity Theft Blog: This blog site contains plenty of useful information to aid in the road to recovery from identity fraud, included is a list with ten of the most unbelievable crime thefts.
23. Give Me Back My Credit: Denise Richardson, consumers advocate and identity theft advisor, recounts her tale of credit fraud, which led to the sponsoring of a bill mandating monthly mortgage statements in Massachusetts.
24. ITAC Blog: The Identity Theft Assistance Center hosts this blog site featuring news, opinion, advice, and ideas on the topic of identity theft.
25. Chase ID Protection: See how these id theft victims found security and recovery with Chase’s Identity Protection.
26. Security News Portal: This site features an article about a UK native who lost everything after an identity thief used his information to sign up for an Internet child-pornography site. Read his harrowing tale, and see how he is recovering.
27. Ask Mr. Credit Card: Falling victim to an identity crime once is enough for one lifetime, imagine if two years after your first attack- it happens again. Read tips from a man who had exactly this happen to him.
28. Identity Theft Blog: This site features tips to avoid identity theft, along with scam alerts, credit monitoring, and weekly identity fraud features.
29. Identity Theft Secrets: Learn the secrets the identity thieves don’t want you to know.
30. DateSmart: Learn how this woman recovered after her identity was when the mailing address on her bank statements was unknowingly changed.
31. Your Evil Twin: This site is home to protection, resources, news and true accounts of identity theft.
32. Bustathief: Visit this site to protect you and your finances from identity theft, money scams, mail fraud, job scams and other types of fraud.
33. Security FAQs: Commonly asked Internet security questions are answered on this site.
34. Privacy Matters: Learn how to recover and restore your identity if you ever become a victim, on this credit report site.
35. CBC Radio Canada: Highlighted in this article are tips to avoid identity theft, signs that someone may be using your identity, and what to do if you’re a victim of identity fraud.
36. Reviews on Life: This Lifelock reviews blog features five stories of nightmare identity thefts and the road to recovery that came after.
37. Majestic Security: These id experts have posted compelling videos from everyday victims, along with messages from Hillary Clinton and their chairman, Deborah Platt Majors.
38. Stop ID-Fraud: This is an amazingly well put together site with tons of information on every aspect of identity theft. Read real life stories, learn what and how of id theft, search through preventions facts, and find guidance for current victims, all on one site!
39. Spyware Blockers: This man’s detailed account of his run-in with identity theft is compelling enough to see you through reading his entire ordeal.
40. Identity Theft Action Plan: Use this site to find out what to do if you are a victim of identity theft, as well as read real life stories and view helpful resources and links.
41. The Real Estate Bloggers: Professionals working in the real-estate business may find that they are at a higher risk for identity theft due to the high volume of marketing it takes to get your name out there. View these accounts of real estate workers who have been both victim and, in some cases, the thief!
42. Daily Cup of Tea: These alleged stories of identity theft fueled some interesting responses from the blogging community on this site, some offer helpful tips for prevention and recovery.
43. International Business Times: This article lists ten top tips to protect against identity theft.
44. Realty Security: Robert Siciliano is a personal security and identity theft expert committed to educating the public in all realms of safety. He is CEO of ID Theft Security, and uses this site to promote prevention and recovery from victimization.
45. The Good Human: This article presents information from the MSNBC Dateline show titled “To Catch An ID Thief”, along with an open invitation for others to share any information they may have from personal experience.

Image Credits: ~Twon~