How to protect yourself from identity theft. 10 useful tips.

What to do when your ID has been stolen

More detailed 17-step plan to follow if your ID is stolen:

Passwords Do's and Don't

Step 1:

Protect your finances
Contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus.
Get a copy of your credit report, which is free to ID theft victims. Ask that your file be flagged with a "fraud alert tag" and a "victim's statement." That will limit the thief's ability to open new credit accounts, as new creditors will call you before granting credit, generally. Insist, in writing, that the fraud alert remain in place for seven years, the maximum, according to PrivacyRights.org.

Credit bureaus:

Equifax
1-800-525-6285
http://www.equifax.com/home/

Experian
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com

TransUnion
1-800-680-7289
http://www.transunion.com/

Step 2:

File a police report
You will need a police report to dispute unauthorized charges and for any insurance claims. Be persistent; your local police department may suggest that this isn't necessary, because they don't want the paperwork hassle. Also, fill out an online ID Theft complaint with the Federal Trade Commission or call 1-877-ID-THEFT.
That enters your case in the FTC's "Consumer Sentinel" database, a nationwide list of ID theft cases which can be used by law enforcement officers to find patterns and catch criminals.

Step 3:

Close all compromised accounts
The list may be wider than you realize. This includes accounts with banks, credit card companies and other lenders, and phone companies, utilities, ISPs, and other service providers. Dispute all unauthorized charges - The FTC offers a sample dispute letter on its Web site. Disputes may require a sworn statement and a police report. The FTC also offers a form affidavit which can be used for the sworn statement at FTC - Credit Affidavit.

www.privacyrights.org/identity.htm-When bad things happen to your good name"

FTC document full of sample dispute letters and other recovery procedures: http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.shtm

U.S. Department of Justice ID Theft kit: www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html

Identity Theft Resource Center: www.idtheftcenter.org

ID theft laws vary by state - here's a list of state laws: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/

Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice ID Theft page: www.cj.msu.edu/~outreach/identity

DO:

• Use combinations of upper- and lowercase characters, as well as symbols and numbers. Most hackers focus on commonly used words in dictionary databases.
• Pick long words. The more characters, the harder it is to hack. Combine two unusual, long words around a special character, e.g. labyrinthine;gesticulate.
• Use the first letter of each word from a favorite saying, song lyric or poem. So "Somewhere over the Rainbow" becomes SOTR or sOtR.
• Use foreign language words. Combining a foreign language word and an English word is even more effective.

DON'T:

• Use a word that appears in a common dictionary.
• Use a common word that simply ends with a special character or a number (Super1 or Flash$). Hackers are aware of this trick.
• Use the same password multiple times. Your debit and credit cards should not have the same PIN numbers, for example: Use a series, either forwards or backwards (i.e., ABCDEF 654321)
• Use common keyboard sequences like QWERTY
• Use an easily guessed word like your name or any variation of it.
• Use something that people might be able to guess from your wallet if it's stolen, like your child's name or your favorite sports team.

Source: MSNBC research; Rick Smith, author of 'Authentication from Passwords to Public Keys'