Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in both the United States and world-wide. According to a U.S. Secret Service estimate, consumers across the country lose $750 million per year through identity theft. Each victim, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, can expect to spend $1000 and an average of over six hundred hours to clear their name in the credit records.

Thieves use a variety of means to access a victims information. They may steal it by taking it from a business or other institution. They may find a way to bribe or blackmail someone who has legitimate access. They may hack into records. They can even use so-called social engineering to obtain the information from someone unwittingly. Theft or fraud can easily be committed once your information is in the hands of an identity thief.

One of the juiciest targets of an identity thief is your personal computer. Your PC most likely has everything needed to impersonate you in nearly any situation. Here are some tips that will help protect your computer (and you) from being vulnerable to an identity thief.

• Use virus protection software always and make sure its updated regularly. Most AV (anti-virus) packages have an option to retrieve updates on a regular basis.
• Make sure that your operating system is kept up to date with critical patches and hotfixes. Windows XP, for instance, can be set up to automatically download and apply updates.
• Never open a file, click on a hyperlink, or download a program sent to you by a company or a person you dont know. Even if you do know the person, always be wary of opening attachments, even if they look okay.
• Only reveal your personal and financial information through SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). You will know youre using SSL when the lock icon shows up in your browser window. This helps ensure that your information cannot be seen by anyone while its in transit over the internet.
• Be careful what you store on a laptop. Some 95% of stolen laptops are never recovered. Are you ready to have everything contained on your laptop become publicly available? If not, drive encryption should be considered.
• Delete all information on a computer before selling, giving away, or disposing of it. While it may not be practical, you should consider destroying the hard drive. If not practical, consider degaussing or destroying the information contained on the drive.

Through diligence and attentiveness, you can reduce your risk of being a victim of identity theft. While you cant eliminate the risk completely, you can cut it down severely by protecting your information as seriously as you would your money.