• Do not carry any identification or card in your wallet or purse that has your social security number printed on it. Yes, this means do not carry your social security card, Medicare card, and health insurance cards. See What?s in your wallet?a social security
  number.
  
• Minimize the number of credit cards that you carry. The more you carry the greater the risk that you will be a victim of existing account fraud should your wallet or purse be lost or stolen. The more cards you carry the greater the potential financial damage and complexity of your case.
  
• Shred all documents that contain your name, social security number, date of birth, or account numbers before you discard them. Check that junk mail doesn?t contain your personal information, and if it does, shred it first, especially those preapproved credit card offers and credit card checks. Every household should own an inexpensive paper shredder?make sure it is the crosscut or confetti variety. Strip shredders don?t ?cut-it!? If you have many documents such as tax returns, pay stubs, old bills, etc. find a ?shred fest? in your area where you can shred bulk documents for free.
  
• Protect your outgoing and incoming mail. Outgoing mail, which can be stolen, often contains your account numbers and other sensitive information. It is best to deposit your outgoing mail inside of your local post office so there is no chance for it to be stolen from your residential mailbox or from U.S. Post Boxes. Never leave your outgoing or incoming mail unattended. For example, don?t put your mail in the outgoing mail bin at work where everyone has access to it. Monitor your mail?a missing monthly credit card or bank statement may be a clue that mail has been stolen and your personal information contained in the mail is being misused.
  
• Monitor what is inside of your mail too. Do you see unexplainable charges or items on your credit card, bank and medical statements? If so, it may be a clue that someone is misusing your identity or account numbers. 
  
  Watch for signs of identity theft: late or missing bills, receiving credit cards that you didn't apply for, being denied credit or offered less favorable terms for no apparent reason, or getting contacted by debt collectors or others about purchases you didn't make.

It's important to protect your personal information, and to take certain steps quickly to minimize the potential damage from identity theft if your information is accidentally disclosed or deliberately stolen: