Rich is a successful professional who has always prided himself on playing his bills on time. But one day, he started receiving bills from credit card companies that he’d never heard of before. After checking his credit records, he discovered that someone had borrowed thousands of dollars and even bought a car using his name and financial information.

　　Identify theft is growing crime. Last year, in the largest identify theft case so far, a man working for an American credit card company was arrested for stealing information on over 30,000 people. With this information, he was able to make purchases on their credit cards and withdraw cash from their bank accounts. His victims are still fighting with their banks to get their money back and clear their credit histories.

　　“With a few keystrokes, there men essentially picked the pockets of tens of thousands of Americans and, in the process, took their identities, stole their money and swiped their security,”said a US attorney.

　　So hoe can you protect yourself? Experts recommend that you keep an eye on your credit cards and any government issued-ID, such as national ID cards and driver’s licenses. Keep passports and other important documents in a secure place, preferably a safe deposit box. Don’t store any personal or financial information on a laptop computer or send it via e-mail.

　　Just in case, credit a list of all the places you have to contact if you lose your ID or credit cards, such as banks, credit card companies and government offices. This way, you can contact them quickly and possibly limit the damage.