If you’re worried about identity theft, there are ways you can protect yourself. And if you know the signs, you can stop identity theft sooner. One of the best ways to protect your identity is to order your credit report annually from annualcreditreport.com.

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I’m Ilyce Glink with Expert Real Estate Tips dot net. How do you know if your identity has been stolen?

Here are four big red flags to watch out for.

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1. Mail addressed to someone else.
2. Credit cards in someone else’s name.
3. Denied credit for no reason.
4. Creditors start calling to collect.

First, mail comes addressed to somebody else but to your address. Next, you get credit cards in the mail but they have somebody else’s name on them. Third, you go for credit and you’re denied and you have no idea why you’d be denied credit and here’s the biggie: predators start calling you claiming that you charge stuff,

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you owe them money, you have big accounts that have gone delinquent and you have no idea what they’re talking about.

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There are three things you can do that will greatly diminish your chances of having your identity stolen. First, try to get all of your bills sent to you electronically rather than through the mail.

Then go online weekly to see if there are any charges you can’t account for. Next regularly check your credit history at Annual Credit Report dot com. You’re looking for odd numbers, new credit cards that are in your name that you never opened, late payments or judgments against you that aren’t yours or other pieces of information that seem wrong.

And finally be very careful whenever you use you’re A-T-M card or credit card and watch who’s watching you. As technology gets better and better someone may be able to be near you with a sensor and pick up your pin number.

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Identity theft is annoying, scary, frustrating and time consuming to fix. You’re going to have to spend money and for sure a lot of time getting your credit history and credit score back to where they should be. Better to take some steps to make sure that your identity isn’t stolen in the first place.

For more personal finance and real estate information visit my Web site, Expert Real Estate Tips dot net.