10 Simple Tips to Avoid Identity Theft

An unfamiliar bill. A call from a bank asking about unknown charges. Being turned down for a loan or an apartment because of red flags in your credit check. All these are signs your identity may have been stolen. Forms of identity theft include using stolen payment-card information to make a purchase; taking control of existing accounts with banks and online payments platforms such as PayPal; and opening new accounts with online sites such as eBay and Amazon, mobile carriers or utilities. The No. 1 consumer complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission for the past 14 years, identity theft is on the rise. More than 13 million people were victims of identity theft in 2013, according to the latest report from Pleasanton, Calif.-based Javelin Strategy & Research. It's also big money for the thieves, with Javelin estimating $18 billion in identity theft-related losses in the United States for 2013. MORE: Best Identity-Theft Protection Software "The situation around credit card and identity theft is getting worse, and shows no signs in the near or intermediate term of getting any better," said Christopher Budd, a threat-communications manager at Tokyo-based anti-virus company Trend Micro. Identity theft can happen to anyone — there's no single group that is more or less susceptible to being victimized.