Did you know that over 11 million Americans were the victims of identity fraud in 2009 alone? If that isnt scary enough, these cyber-thieves are planning new attacks every day and getting more sophisticated about it all the time. If you think this is a crime that only happens to other people and not you, think again. Here are some ways thieves can rip you off and make your life miserable. There are many ways cyber-thieves can steal your identity, but Im going to list the most common five right here and now. This will give you a chance to tighten your own security and keep your guard up for these tricks. Here goes: Trash spying - Also known as dumpster diving, thieves can go through your trash searching for any scrap of paper with your current name, address, and hopefully either your credit card number or social security number. Most people dont even consider that throwing old receipts away that have their credit card number on them is like gold to these guys, especially if they also have your signature on them. Credit card swiping If you dine out at restaurants quite a bit, you can easily fall victim to this scam. After giving your credit card to the server, they kindly take it back to the office area, out of your sight. Thats where they have a handy little device that swipes your card information and records it, so they can easily tap into your credit later on. These machines are widespread today, and dont kid yourself that it doesnt happen in your little town. Email phishing These electronic thieves are thinking up new ways each year to trick you into revealing your information,Beijing Massage, not just the Prince of Nigeria needing help cashing his big check, either. Many people get emails from tricksters asking for verification of their Paypal account, or social security number for audit purposes, just a few of the many tricks in use. Some even send text messages now to your phone, this is called SMS phishing and is similar in that they try to act as if they know you, while asking you to verify some financial information. Dont fall for these! Wallet stealing If you have ever lost your wallet you know what a panic it puts you in, right? Imagine losing your wallet only to have a very nice gentleman find it and give it back to you the very next day. The problem is, he didnt find it, he stole it! And he didnt take your money, he took down all your personal information and is now using it to create a fake identity with the information in your name. Sound impossible? Think again, this is a very clever con used by thieves to steal your identity and make you feel safe at the same time, unaware that they are draining your account dry or worse yet, creating new accounts in your name that you wont find out about until its too late. File sharing If you or your children go onto the so-called file sharing sites to download music from friends, you could be in danger of having your identity stolen. How? Thieves can plant viruses called Trojan horses in the files, which are then downloaded to your hard drive. You dont even know they are there, especially if you have old anti-virus software. While you go about your business, they quietly work in the background searching for your passwords, or even logging your keystrokes while you sign into your back account. This information is then sent to the hackers computer,beijing erotic massage, probably in another country,Beijing Sensual Massage! Dont let that happen to you, be very aware of what you download. So I hope this article woke you up enough to take action, when I found out all of these tricks I took immediate action to protect myself and my family. Its easy to do, get the protection from cyber-thieves now and sleep better tonight.