Identity theft is becoming a common crime: you never know when you’ll become a victim. It comes in many different faces, from someone stealing your credit card to someone using your identity to be treated at a hospital. But, luckily, there are certain things you can do to protect yourself. Start with the following:

Get a Mail Box that Locks: Mail boxes are packed full of information that contains your identity - credit card information, bank statements, healthcare information. All of these documents contain all kinds of personal information, including social security numbers. Some violators look no further than the mail box down the street to begin their thievery. For this reason, getting a locked mail box is one way to protect yourself from identity theft.

Be Smart with Outgoing Mail: It’s not just incoming mail that you need to protect, it’s also outgoing. One great way to reduce your chance of being an identity theft victim is to pay for things online. If you must use snail mail, put your outgoing mail in a post office slot rather than a box where someone can get it.

Shred Away: Everyday we throw documents away that contain important information: checking account numbers, routing numbers, credit card numbers. Simply throwing away your documents leaves yourself vulnerable to identity theft: thieves will go through the trash to find information. Buying a shredder and using it to shred all your important documents is a great way to reduce your risk.  Receipts are also something you may want to shred. Though most receipts no longer contain your entire credit card number, some still do. It’s also a good idea to ask the financial institutions you patronize - banks and creditors - about their shredding policies.

Lock up Important Things: Many of us leave things sitting around our house - check books, credit cards, ATM cards, debit cards, etc. - believing that no one will swipe them. While this is usually the case, some people aren’t as trustworthy as we’d like to believe. Walk the safe route, and lock up all your financial documents.

Protect Your Social Security Number: Protecting your social security may seem hard to do: after all, many institutions need our social for a variety of reasons. Even so, it’s still best to give out your social security number as little as you can.  Whenever anyone asks for it, give them the third degree. Ask them why they need it, what they will do with it, and what will happen if you refuse to offer it. You may also try asking if you can simply give them the last four digits of your number, rather than the entire thing.

You should also never give out your social security number via email, and never give it to a financial institution you suspect may be fraudulent.

Carry as Little as Possible in your Wallet: The more you carry in your wallet, the more you risk identity theft if your wallet is ever  lost or stolen. For this reason, carry the least amount possible. Never carry your social security card, and only carry the credit cards that you actually use on a regular basis. It’s also a good idea to photocopy - and store the copies safely - everything you have in your wallet. This will help you in the event your wallet lands in the wrong hands.

Reduce Credit Card Solicitation: Every week, we receive credit card offers in the mail. These offers, if stolen by thieves, can lead to identity theft. For this reason, it’s a good idea to reduce these solicitations as much as you can: calling 888-5OPT-OUT will help you do just that.

Review Your Social Security Statements: Before your birthday each year, you should get a document from the Social Security Administration that discusses your earnings and the benefits you can eventually expect. If you aren’t getting these statements, and are over 25 and a present or former worker, call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to make sure they have the right contact information for you.

Check Your Credit Report: Checking your credit report is a great way to make sure your identity hasn’t been stolen. Ideally, you should check it twice a year but at the very least, once a year.

Be Careful Online: Dealing with your finances online doesn’t make you immune to identity theft: thieves are lurking in cyberspace too. You can protect yourself by creating unique passwords (don’t use things like your birth date or town of residence) and only using secure sites for purchases.

Identity theft is common, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a victim. Thieves are looking for identities that are easy to steal: being vigilant and making your identity difficult to take, is your best bet at making sure your identity stays yours.