Identity theft is a growing problem…a rapidly growing problem.  As USAToday reports:

“More than 162 million records have been reported lost or stolen in 2007, triple the 49.7 million that went missing in 2006, according to USA TODAY’s analysis of data losses reported over the past two years.”

Wow.  That’s… alarming.

So now is as good a time as any to brush up on some basic identity protection tips (actually, it’s way past the time to brush up on this, but if you’ve had a hard time getting motivated, allow this new report to wake you up and help you smell the coffee).

Identity theives operate in a varitey of ways, but one of the most common is also the easiest to guard against:  unattended laptops, mail, computer equipment, disks, and flash drives.  Apparently, the section of the population most prone to leave their computer lying around unattended are also among the most likely to have their sensitive information on said computer, in easy to find places.

Another problem is employees skirting the rules:  the study finds that 35% of empolyees felt compelled to end company rules on internet and email usage just to get their jobs done.  So these folks end up emailing things from work to their home or to friends–things they shouldn’t email such as account numbers and passwords. 

Phishing is another trend on the rise, where thieves create copycat websites that look and behave just like the real ones.  So you think you’re logging into your Yahoo mail account, but you’re really just giving your account information and password to the bad guys.  Yahoo and many other online firms have taken steps to help avoid this problem, by having users choose a Site ID Key or unique color scheme, so that users can quickly know they are logging in to the correct place.  Unfortunately, millions of users simply don’t take advantage of this technology, further opening themselves up to attack. 

While identity theft’s rise has been sharp, the fact remains that the majority of instances of this crime are avoidable with proper planning and precaution.