In the wonderful world of the internet it becomes easy to forget that there is no security, no protection and no one enforcing any laws to make sure your identity won't be stolen.
Something as simple as signing up for a newsletter or buying a product online can result in someone obtaining enough information about you to steal your identity.
The worst part about identity theft is that you won't even know what is going on till it is too late. More often than not identity thieves will be careful in how they abuse your identity, stealing only small amounts of money at a time and charging you for minor purchases. A phone call in your name every day rarely is noticed and a smart identity thief as a result is able to continue his/her stealing practices over the course of many years (much like a malevolent parasite).
Interestingly enough Europe has progressed leaps and bounds when it comes to preventing identity theft. With no pre-approved loans, all bank transactions being reversible for a month and a different credit card system the only way for an identity thief to really do damage is by watching you type in your secret bank account number. And even then Europeans have the advantage of (usually) being able to undo the damage done to them.
But even in Europe identity theft has increased with the advent of the internet, especially online payment methods such as Paypal and unverified online stores are vulnerable to abuse.
And despite the best efforts of companies such as Paypal to secure our interests it is largely up to us to prevent our information from falling into the hands of the identity thief.
Whether you rarely use the internet or visit it frequently, care must be taken to prevent your personal information from falling into the hands of a thief.
