Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. Recent statistics show that each year approximately 700,000 individuals fall victim to identity thieves—those careful crooks who search online and off for valuable pieces of your personal information.

In a recent survey by the Federal Trade Commission, 12.7% of American adults reported that they had become victims of some type of identity theft in the last five years. That's 27 million people!

While much of the crime that identity thieves commit does occur online, most of the information that they gather to aid them in stealing your identity is harvested through postal mail and other paper sources. You can greatly reduce your chances of becoming a victim by taking advantage of the online services available to you. Below are some of the ways your identity can be stolen:

Dumpster Diving - Thieves rummage through trashcans for pieces of non-shredded personal information that they can use or sell.

Mail Theft - Crooks search mailboxes for pre-approved credit offers, bank statements, tax forms, or convenience checks. They also look for credit card payment envelopes that have been left for postal carrier pick-up.

Purse or Wallet Theft - Stolen purses and wallets usually contain a number of credit and debit cards in addition to other personal documentation. Using these items, a thief can get enough information to obtain credit under the victim’s name, or sell the information to an organized crime ring.

Inside Sources - A dishonest employee with access to privileged information such as personnel records, payroll information; insurance files, account numbers, or sales records can be great help to any identity thief.

Imposters - Many identity theft victims have been taken in by an individual who fraudulently posed as someone who had a legitimate or legal reason to access the victim’s personal information (i.e. a landlord or employer asking for background information).

Online Data - On the simplest level, thieves access data that consumers share through phone listings, directories, memberships, etc. Thieves can also purchase sensitive personal information about someone (e.g. name, address, phone numbers, Social Security number, or birth date) from an online broker. This includes email scams that trick cardholders and financial institution members into giving out personal information for verification, better known as “Phishing”.

Documents in the Home - Unfortunately, there are identity thieves who can gain legitimate access into someone’s home and personal information through household work, babysitting, healthcare, friends or roommates.

Limit Your Use of Paper and Postal Mail

It is a common misconception that conducting business online increases your chance of identity theft. According the U.S. Postal Service, most identity theft involves the U.S. Mail. They strongly advise people, "Don't leave mail in your mailbox overnight or on weekends." Here are some ways to reduce the amount of paper with personal information in your mailbox:

Choose to Receive Your Monthly Statements Online - Eliminate the possibility of a thief getting your valuable account information out of your mailbox or mail being lost and ending up in the wrong hands. Online eStatements (electronic statements) is a FREE service provided by Allegacy. You are notified via email when your secure, private, and protected eStatement is ready for viewing inside of free WebBanking. As an added benefit, you will be able to access your statement by the second business day of the month.

Use WebPay to Pay Your Bills - When you write a check for a bill and send it through the mail, you have both your financial institution, name, signature, account number, and possibly even address, phone and driver’s license numbers on a piece of paper that any thief might steal from your mailbox or get “lost” in the mail. When you use online bill payment, most of your payments are sent electronically and the few that are sent by mail will not have your signature and other personal information on them, and can even be viewed electronically (Check Imaging) after they clear in WebBanking. Also, WebPay is FREE. These payments have guaranteed on time delivery, and are safe and secure behind WebBanking.

Use eBill to Receive Your Bills Online - Once you begin using WebPay to pay your bills online, you will discover that many of your payees can send your bills to you online as well. This is another step to reduce the amount of mail you receive with personal information on it. You can even pay these bills with a single click of your mouse. This also alleviates the need for you to shred your personal information on paper before you trash it.

Direct Deposit Your Net Paycheck – into your Allegacy Checking account for immediate access to funds via Visa Check Card, checks, and no-surcharge ATM access. This prevents your paycheck getting lost in the mail or deposited into someone else’s account through signature forgery, and also prevents standing in line to deposit that check.

Visa Card ATM access – memorize your PIN (personal identification number) and do not carry it or other personal information with your card in your wallet. Always be cautious of your surroundings when using your PIN and always take your receipt. Be sure to sign and activate all new cards, destroy old cards, and shred any personal paper information before trashing.