Identity thefts is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country and what can be really frustrating about this is that you cannot really know how fast it is growing. Not only are identity theft cases hard to solve, they are also hard to detect. There are identity crimes that are not solved until after a decade because of the lack of information. "Generally, we'll find out if they're a victim before they know and we'll notify them," Burke said. It's called identity theft shield, an around the clock system of monitoring your credit, restoring your identity and reimbursing your costs in case your good name is stolen and used against you. Breaking the Misnomers of Social Security One's social security number is a string of numbers that identify an individual. The social security system was formed precisely to offer protection and security to an individual through benefits and such. However, in the past few years, one's social security number has proven to be the cause that threatens both one's personal protection and security. Ask businesses how they store and dispose of credit card transaction skips. Ensure that proper safeguards are in place to treat these documents securely. Never giver credit card numbers or other personal information over the phone unless you initiate the call. Even if you initiate the call, ensure that called party is not using a cellular or other mobile phone. Our personal information has become one of our very valuable possessions. We should be able to treat it like gold. And in case evidence suggests that someone may have already stolen it, there are steps that you can take to protect yourself from further damage. For your credit accounts, you can report it to the different fraud agencies who can issue a fraud alert on your account. Though identity theft cases left many victims alone, hurdling to claim innocence, companies never stop finding security alternatives even to the point of hiring reputable hackers themselves to help them with their system loopholes. The hackers who did most of the illegal system interventions are the one s who know the solution.