lawlz. F*ck locking your mailbox, just RENT a PMB so the mail goes to a separate CONTROLED facility all together.

Last year I canceled about 10 old credit cards I never used. My FICO score went down 30 points.

Doesn't canceling credit cards hurt your FICO score?

I got rid of my identity altogether. Take that, potential thieves!

@savdavid: Good point, but I think having a thief run up debt in your name would hurt it more.

Number 3 is pretty stupid. I also don't know where they are buying a shredder. My cross cut was $33 regular price @WalMart.

Right. But this article says to protect yourself from ID theft to cancel them. Don't do it. CreditKarma.com where they give you a free credit score said I got an 'F' in Total Accounts. All other categorizes I get an 'A'. It said Total Accounts is another measure of your creditworthiness. Consumers with more credit accounts generally have better credit scores because it means more lenders are willing to grant credit. To get an 'A' you should have over 40. Don't cancel those old cards unless you want your FICO score to go down.

@wcnghj:

And you shred how many pages with paperclips not removed per minute?

@StanTheManDean: 7 at a time- takes about 6 seconds.

It does staples, but not paperclips.

#5 cost FTA: "$0 and up"
#5 cost in 1 word: "Duh"

@howie_in_az: Mom?

At this point I feel that my information is out there to so many places the only thing I can really do is closely monitor my bank and CC statements and get my free annual credit report once a year to see if someone has opened additional accounts.

Also-- how many identity thefts actually take place from stolen paper (mail, unshredded bills, etc.) vs. online? I have never seen any hard numbers on this, but I would be willing to bet the vast majority are electronic.

PREVENT identity theft? How can I ENCOURAGE it?

Take my bills......please!

(duh dum dum.... crash)

If I were to lock my mailbox, the maillady wouldn't be able to put mail in it. And she sure as hell ain't gonna unlock it every day, even if I did give her the key. Yes, they really mean that and not what I'm mentioning, check the article.

The solution is a mailbox that provides only a SLOT for the mail (rather than opening up completely), or just to put a mail slot in your door if your mail gets delivered to your door. If you find a reasonably priced slot mailbox, let me know!

Slots also prevent giant flyers from being mailed to you, which is why I came across them in the first place (idiots that deliver flyers leave the mailbox OPEN because their newspaper sized flyers don't fit in the mailbox), which means the mail either gets wet or full of snow and ice).

@HalOfBorg:
I remember a bank once asking me if other people were authorized to make deposits into my account. My response: Anyone who wants to put money in my account is encouraged to do so.

@jp: If you have old credit cards sitting around (hopefully you still have the cards; if it's an account for which you don't even have a card any more, you definitely should close it) and you're not using them, what does it matter if you lose a few points off your score? In that situation you clearly have more credit than you need. If you are managing your credit wisely, over time your score will go up anyway, and you'll be able to open or reopen an account if you need one.

If you're planning to buy a house in a few months, yeah, you might not want to do that, but I think for most people it's not a bad idea.

Our area only permits rural type mailboxes out at the street. The post office won't deliver to the door, even for a disable customer. So that sort of takes care of the locking mailbox idea. For everything else, I use my secret identity.

@Lucky225: Sounds more expensive to me, especially when you add in the extra time.

I protect my identity the way Superman does, by wearing thick rimmed glasses. But I'm not as mild-mannered.

How about reducing the likelihood by reducing the opportunities?

Call 1-888-567-8688 to get your name off the credit card mailing lists. Provided by FTC.gov [www.ftc.gov]

Get your name of many marketers mailing lists with the Direct Marketing Associations Opt-out program: www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing

I like LessMuda!

@jp: 40?! Seriously? I know that that's ALL credit accounts, but still. Even if you count my student loans, I have six (renting an apartment, still driving the car my parents bought me). I could see a reasonable adult having 10, maybe 15 accounts total.

@HalOfBorg: When I was 10 or so, someone tried to change the billing address on one of my parents' credit cards, so that they got the bills, had all of the information, etc. Throughout the whole debacle, all I thought was, "so, the bills go to them! You don't have to pay them anymore!"

A shredder and locked mailbox are useless when the mailperson puts your mail in other people's mailbox, you need to stop it at the source, get on as many do not mail lists as possible, as many paperless statements as possible.

@floraposte: It is more expensive, but there are benefits. One often overlooked benefit is that because the USPS hates CMRAs (Commercial Mail Receiving Agents), they "punish" the customers by not allowing forwarding orders from such places.This "punishment" is actually a benefit as nobody can get away with filing a forwarding order to divert your mail as part of a scam.

CMRAs are also handy when you order expensive computer components on a regular basis. There is always someone there to receive my packages, no dump-and-run issues there.

#6) You actually ARE Chuck Norris.

@axiomatic: COTD, hands down.

Find lots of info about identify theft and dealing with other crimes at [postalinspectors.uspis.gov]

You can download the Postal Inspections ID Theft brochure here: [postalinspectors.uspis.gov]

If possible get a storm door to go in front of the main door to your house, they often have a mail slot and since they can be locked, your mail is much safer than in a mailbox.

Also make sure your shredder can crosscut.

Number 1 way to prevent your identity from being stolen:
Have a 480 Credit score.

I've changed my name to Occupant.

@rpm773: if your mom is named howie... you might have other issues.

@howie_in_az: Did you ditch your shadow while you were at it, a la Peter Pan? Because that would be AWESOME.

I initiated a fraud alert on my credit report and use GCal to remind me every three months to update it. Now when someone tries to open a credit card in my name they are supposed to call and verify my information. It's the same thing Lifelock does expect you can do it for free.

FYI if you have AAA you can get credit monitoring for free, avoid paying $10 per month.

These are good points, especially since research (Javelin Strategy's recent report, for one) indicates that the majority of identity theft is happening the old fashion way [stolen wallets/purses, trash (discarded mail) and mail from unlocked mailboxes] and not via 'high-tech' cyber methods.

One important point though... a $10 locking mailbox isn't going to cut it. Mail thieves are smarter than that. You at least need a locking mailbox that can't be fished by hand or pried open with a screwdriver in just seconds, and that eliminates just about every locking mailbox under $100. A good affordable option is the wallmount mailboss in Ace Hardwares for $119, or there is the curbside Mail Boss option for $159. Other good brands (though more expensive) are the Fort Knox or the Armadillo.

@Lucky225: Convenience is a factor.. going to the P.O. can be a huge pain. However, a $10 locking mailbox isn't going to cut it for security, that is for sure! There are high quality locking mailboxes out there that offer the best of both worlds - convenience & security.

@MikeVx: Some locking mailboxes even accept packages! If you're in the market though, just make sure they're not the pointless kind you can just reach in and pull the mail out of..

@QuiteSpunky: Actually, research indicates that the MAJORITY of identity occurs via LOW-TECH methods such as a stolen wallet or purse, mail stolen from mailboxes - either unlocked mailboxes or low-quality locking mailboxes.. not via 'high-tech' cyber methods as is commonly believed. (See: [www.javelinstrategy.com])

This report shows that millions of Americans have their identities stolen every year (up 22% in 2008 from 2007). Only 35% of victims know how their identity was compromised, but of those who KNOW how their information was taken, the MAJORITY state it was taken through physical PAPER documents. Another interesting point here is that people often don't know when their physical paper documents are taken (how would you know if your bank statement was taken from your mailbox or the trash) - which leads one to believe the number may actually be much higher.

Moral of the story - if consumers are not going to take the necessary precautions to secure physical documents with their personal information (ie use a security locking mailbox and a paper shredder religiously) then getting bank statements & other sensitive documents online versus in the mail is a SMART WAY to minimize the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft.. based on the current statistics.

@shepd: Actually its against USPS regulations to "lock" your mailbox, as you described above. I am actually shocked, for this reason, the article recommended it. I suppose if you were really good friends with your mailman you may be able to work something out.. but seriously? What a colossal waste of time! :)

There are secure locking mailboxes as you describe with an incoming slot for mail - then the homeowner uses a key to retrieve their mail. Problem is most of them out there (i.e. the MailSafe, Oasis, Parkview, etc.) can be fished by hand (someone can reach in the incoming mail slot and pull out the mail) or pried open in just seconds with a household screwdriver. Kinda defeats the person of locking your mailbox since most of the criminals know this sort of thing.

The solution is a high quality locking mailbox, but unfortunately they cost more than $10. A locking mailbox should be made of galvanized steel and unable to be fished or pried open. They have wall-mount Mail Boss mailboxes in Ace Hardware that are secure around $110, and the curbside model around $150-$170. Other secure (though more expensive) options are the Fort Knox and the Armadillo.

@H3ion: You can still get a locking mailbox at the street!

@LessMuda: Thanks for that number - good stuff! More info here: [www.fightidentitytheft.com]

Unfortunately, most people still get their bank statements and other sensitive info in the mailbox.. so it is still important to use a security locking mailbox to prevent mail identity theft.

@Razor512: I'm lucky enough to live in a walking route area, and they deliver into the slot in my porch door. But not all routes deliver to the door, end even where they do, some require approved boxes mounted to the wall.

@MailBoss: That is interesting. Thanks for the info!