As incidents of identity theft increase both online and offline, it has become important for consumers to be on their guard when it comes to credit card transactions. The widespread internet online market has made personal information available to hackers and other white collar criminals who poach on other peoples’ identities for various purposes.

There are various resources available on the internet that can help you with tips on how to protect your personal information from falling into the hands of malicious people. While it may not be possible to totally protect such events from taking place, being on guard can help anyone prevent major financial losses.

To begin with, the three major credit bureaus provide information on identity theft and provide valuable tools to prevent them. They also provide help on reporting such acts and taking appropriate action.

The important thing to do is place a fraud alert with the credit bureaus that will show on your credit report. This makes the credit companies contact you personally before they open new accounts in your name, or make any other changes.

Other precautions can be taken to protect your identity, like allowing only the last four digits of the SSN to show on the report.

If you detect any unauthorized accounts in your name, these should be reported immediately and closed. Report of the same can be filed with the concerned authorities.

There are various agencies – local, state, and federal – that are concerned with identity theft events. Reporting to them is therefore an important step.

The best way to protect yourself is to learn more about identity thefts. Various online resources can teach you about how such crimes are committed, what preventive measures can be taken, and whom to report if any such act is suspected.