Anyone can prevent their personal information from being shared with other companies and organizations. A majority of the companies allow anyone to ‘opt out’ of allowing your personal information to be shared. While it is impossible to completely protect yourself, you can reduce the odds of becoming victimized if you follow a few simple rules:

• Do not unnecessarily disclose your social security number.
• Don’t throw away credit card slips in public.
• Carefully review your credit charges.
• Constantly change your PIN numbers.
• Avoid giving personal information by phone – and particularly to telemarketers.
• Do not leave outgoing bill payments in your mailbox for postal pickup.
• Do not disclose unnecessary information on your web page.
• Shred all documents containing personal or financial information.
• Monitor your credit report continuously (once a month is recommended). This is by far the most important action you can take.

Predators are constantly devising new tactics in order to steal consumers personal information; therefore, be aware and keep yourself up-to-date by visiting the website of the Federal Trade Commission.