The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) 2006 Identity Theft Survey Report showed that 8.3 million adults were victims of some form of identity theft in 2005.

According to the FTC’S Consumer Response Center, five common ways that wrongdoers steal unsuspecting victims’ legal, financial and personal information are:
1. Dumpster diving- rummaging through trash containers for bills or other personal papers.
2. Skimming- stealing credit/debit card numbers using special electronic storage devices while processing actual transactions.
3. Phishing- imitating real financial institutions or companies by sending fraudulent e-mails or pop-ups to computers.
4. Changing addresses- using postal forms to divert mail to unlawful addresses.
5. Theft- stealing purses, wallets, and mail-even employee records.

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