Financial blogger J.D. Roth was recently the victim of mail theft, including some tax documents. After reporting the theft to the postal service, Roth received a flyer from the Federal Trade Commission with techniques for fighting identity theft. Instead of giving the thieves the opportunity to cash in on any sensitive information they may have obtained, Roth followed every step of the FTC’s flier, which takes a three-pronged approach to identity theft prevention: Deter, Detect, and Defend. For each step, the FTC provides smart steps you can take to keep yourself secure (deter), methods for staying alert in the event someone does steal your personal information (detect), and tips for dealing with a theft that has already occurred (defend). For more, check out the FTC’s official identity theft site.
