According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft is a growing crime, and it can not only be devastating to your personal credit, it can ruin your buyer's or seller's credit to the point of endangering future transactions.

Identity thieves take advantage of everyday transactions to steal your credit cards, social security numbers, Internet passwords, or ferreting out your personal and financial information from your telephone number or address.

They operate several ways. The most common is to use your information to open a new bank account, cellular phone service or credit card account in your name, and write bad checks or spend to the limit of the new service without paying. And the bad checks and unpaid bill go on your credit report. You don't notice anything's wrong until it's too late. So what can you do? Prevent identity theft by being more careful with your personal information.

Here are ten suggestions from online credit report and credit score resource, Iplace.com:

1. Protect your social security number at all costs: do not keep your social security card in your wallet and make sure other types of identification cards you carry do not contain your social security number. If they do, get them changed immediately.

2. Limit the number of cards you carry in your wallet. The more cards, the more exposure you have.

3. Cancel credit cards you don't use (don't just cut them up), this will also improve your credit score.

4. Shred your credit card statements and any garbage that contains personal information.

5. If someone calls you up and asks for your social security number, do not give it to them and don't worry about being rude. Only give out your social security number if you initiated the call.

6. Offers that are too good to be true often are. Do not ever apply for a credit card online from a pop-up window or an e-mail that was sent to you.

7. For online purchasing, try to always use the same credit card. This limits your exposure.

8. Always look for your credit card statements to arrive on time in the mail. If one does not arrive when it should, call the credit company and make sure someone did not change your address. Late statements are an early sign of identity theft.

9. Review your credit card statements thoroughly. Small, illegal purchases (like gasoline fill-ups) can oftentimes be missed. If something is incorrect, call the credit card company immediately.

10. Change your passwords regularly and do not rely on the month as a prefix or suffix. Your password should be a combination of letters and numbers that cannot easily be deciphered. If you need to write them down, do it in code.

The FTC and iPlace.com both recommend that you get a copy of your credit report from all three of the credit reporting bureaus once a year. Review each report to insure that your credit is reported accurately.

If you are representing a buyer or seller, it is also a good idea to get your clients to review their credit reports before they apply for a loan or start looking for a home to buy.

For more information on identify theft, or to report the theft of your identity, visit the Federal Trade Commission's Web site on identity theft or call the FTC Hotline at (877) ID THEFT.

Published: September 26, 2001

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. For more articles by Blanche, click here.