Identity theft occurs more frequently in the United States than
people want to believe. According to the U.S. Department of
Justice, identity theft and identity fraud are referred to as
"all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses
another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud
or deception for economic gain." The Federal Trade Commission
compiles a report every year for identity theft complaints in
the United States. These complaints increased more than 78
percent between 2009 and 2011. With identity theft becoming an
increasing problem, Professor Duanne J. Thompson, the acting
program chair of Criminal Justice at Argosy University, Atlanta,
offers some advice for consumers to take in order to protect
themselves from identity theft: 1. Protect your identity like
you would protect your house. 2. Don't give out sensitive
information such as Social Security information. In most states
it is illegal for a business to ask for your Social Security
number for transactions. 3. If p