Do you know what information is important to protect so you do not become a victim of identity theft credit card fraud? I guess the first answer is obvious, your credit card information. Your statements come in the mail right?

So what you want to do is get to your mailbox as soon as the mail carrier delivers, if possible. Believe it or not there are people out there who will steal mail from your mailbox to get your information. Yup, I'm not kidding they will go to any lengths to get someone's information and use it for their own benefit. Unfortunately it is to your detriment.

Learning how to prevent identity theft credit card fraud in the first place can and will save you a lot of time, effort and money in the long run. If your identity does get stolen the first thing you need to do is contact all the credit card companies that you hold a card with and get a fraud alert put on them or cancel them all together and have the card companies send you new ones. Go over your statements and dispute any unknown charges you find. You are not responsible for any charges not made by you.

Next, call the credit bureaus and file fraud alerts with them. I think that if you just contact one they will let the other two know there is an alert filed and the proper steps will be taken by the other two as well. Have them send you a copy of your credit report so you can see what's been going on with your credit and immediately dispute any and all unknown accounts. If you keep up to date with your credit report then you can head off any potential problems before they become big problems.

So what other information is high risk for theft? Your social security number is a big one, bank account information and any PINs or passwords to these accounts. Do not keep PINs or passwords to your cards or accounts anywhere near the card or other account information.

Make it as hard for someone to steal your identity as possible. Do not keep your social security card in your wallet. Store it safely at home where you know where it is in case you need it. Otherwise just memorize the number. Keep things as simple as possible then you will not have to worry.

Do not throw out important sensitive documents like bank statements in your trash. Like I said thieves will go to any lengths to get your information and going through your trash is no exception. Disgusting, I know but they do. So do yourself a favor and buy a crosscut shredder and shred every piece of paper that has sensitive information on it. I do not care if it is just your phone number, shred it.

Do not forget about the internet. The internet has made identity theft so much easier these days. Hackers can and will do anything they can to get your information. Do not use any unsecure sites for shopping or give out any information like your social security number or credit card number unless you can verify that the site you are on is secure. Identity theft, credit card fraud is more prevalent during the holiday season so be extra careful when you are out there in the trenches doing your holiday shopping.