There’s a lot of talk about ID theft over the Internet. But that is only one way a thief can capture and use your information. Here are some basic suggestions to reduce your chances of facing this situation.

Paper Challenges

Are you one of those people who shred everything if it has your name on it? Or do you just not worry about it as you toss credit card applications in recycling unopened? Both choices are not the best when you’re protecting yourself against ID theft.

Here are some suggestions to stay safe while not making yourself crazy dealing with your junk mail.

Get yourself a shredder. Yes, it can make a difference when addressing ID theft. Be sure to choose a cross-cut shredder. You don’t have to spend a fortune. There are good ones out there in the $50 to $100 range. To encourage you to use it, set up a place to go through your mail and keep the shredder in reach.

Know what not to shred. You don’t have to shred envelopes, catalogs or most junk mail that has just your name and address. That’s public information and available easily. Anything labeled resident or occupant can also go into recycling unopened.

Know what to shred. Credit card offers, courtesy checks and any expired credit cards should be shredded. Those provide the information needed to steal your credit information and open fake cards. If your shredder can’t handle credit cards, cut them in half so that your number is incomplete and put one half in the trash and save the other half to put in another trash bag later. That way your complete information isn’t retrievable.

Shred mail from any financial institution or companies you’ve done business with. These can provide enough information for a savvy ID thief. This includes financial statements that you don’t need to file. The thief could call you or the institution and gather information about you.

Shred the return section of any bills if you pay online, shred any receipts you don’t need for tax purposes and anything with your signature.

Shred any tax-related papers that are more than seven years old. Before that, the IRS can request the information if you’re audited, but they only go back seven years unless they find evidence of fraud.

Shred medical forms. The information can lead to an attempt at medical fraud using your medical insurance or Medicare ID.

Shred old IDs or anything that has your social security number on it. You would be amazed at how much a thief can find out about you with just your social security number.

Shop Safe

Travel light. When you leave the house bring only the credit cards and any identification you may need for your purchases. Leave your social security information at home. Make sure you have a record at home of anything you carry with you. This way it’s easy to contact a company if any of your credit cards or other financial material is stolen.

Stay with your cards. Don’t let salespeople or other service people take your debit or credit cards out of your sight. There are handheld readers that crooks use to “skim” the information from the magnetic strip on your cards to use later.

Guard your Information

Don’t ever give sensitive information such as your social security number, your mother’s maiden name or your birth date to anyone unless you initiated the contact and you are applying for financing or insurance. Also only write any of those three on official documents for financing or insurance. This information is often used to identify and protect you.

This goes double for email. Thieves constantly “phish” for your information by sending out scary emails that threaten to close financial accounts or eliminate email accounts if you don’t respond. NO LEGITIMATE COMPANY WILL CONTACT YOU AND ASK FOR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION IN AN EMAIL OR OVER THE PHONE. These emails look legitimate, and may even send you to a website that looks like your bank’s site. No matter what, just repeat the sentence in caps above and don’t get pulled into their traps.

Electronic protections

Don’t shop or give confidential information when using a public Wi-Fi connection. Thieves look out for these opportunities. Make sure you take security measures with your computer such as a firewall and good virus scanner. Update those regularly. Free software is available to erase or lock data on a smart phone if it’s lost or stolen.

When you shop on the Internet, check any unfamiliar websites to make sure they are legitimate and adequately protected. Be sure to use a credit card rather than a debit card. You have more recourse if there are problems when you use credit to make a purchase.

ID theft has been getting more common, but by taking these steps to manage and protect your identity, you can substantially reduce your risks.