Use password wisely - those not easily identified by making it remotely related to you. 3. Be wary of strangers in the house by limiting their access to private information you are keeping. 4. Know the people handling your records in the office/workplace. Make sure to verify how they dispose private information and rule out carelessness in exchanging or disclosing them to other people. Identity theft continues to be a threat to many individuals in America and across the globe. Unfortunately, although the social security number is supposed to provide one with security, it has been found most often to be the cause of identity theft. For this reason, one must be very careful in giving out one's social security number to prevent identity theft. True prevention resides in two arenas the adoption of more effective application-screening procedures by the credit industry and the implementation of responsible information-handling practices by employers. This article focuses on the latter. Experts in identity theft report that an increasing number of cases can be attributed to the fact that some employees in companies use their connection and their position to obtain sensitive personal information of other employees, customers and even contacts and use them for illegal means. They can also open new bank accounts and write bad checks on it. They can take out a loan under your name and even get new identification cards with your name but with their picture. They can also go as far as using your name to the police if they get arrested. And in case they do not show up in court during the legal proceedings, a warrant of arrest can be issued on your name and sent to your home for a crime that you have no idea about. Even the proliferation of credit cards and its growing use in the world today has made it easier for more criminals to commit identity theft. Because of the big market for financial products such as credit cards, credit institutions have made it easier for people to apply for credit cards. This in turn has made it easier for people to give out their personal information that can be at risk of being stolen. They may be a friend or relative or someone who works for you who has access to your information Tips to Consumers: How can I prevent identity theft? While no one can totally prevent this crime from occurring, here are some tips that can help you decrease your risk. Check your credit reports once a year from all three of the credit reporting agencies listed below.