Want to prevent identity theft? Who doesn’t? Protecting yourself from identity theft is kind of like keeping your children safe from “worldly” influences – it’s virtually impossible. But you can minimize your risk.

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America, with criminals using stolen information for everything from simple fraud to criminal enterprise. The latest data from the Federal Trade Commission shows that in 2009, more than 11 million consumers fell victim to this crime.

Methods used to defraud victims include phishing, vial e-mail and telephone, the use of skimming devices on ATMs and other card swiping machines, and digging through mail, discarded documents and unprotected computer files for personal information.

In most cases, the victims are the ones that are responsible for clearing their own names. The average victim spends 600 hours and $16,000 worth of time in dealing with the issue.

But experts say that safeguarding your identity should be a part of your daily routine. You should check your credit report at least once a year, and verify the information on your bills and statements when they come in the mail.

You should also use a locked mailbox or post office box to prevent mail theft, and limit the amount of information you carry in your wallet, in addition to shredding any documents that contain your personal or financial information before you discard them.

Consumers should also be cautious when using and ATM or gas pump, being careful to check the device before inserting your card. Crooks attach devices to them that steal your information. Be sure to double-check the device, making sure it’s not loose or that it doesn’t look out of place. Tug on the device, and if it comes out in your hand, it’s a skimmer.

Taking the extra time each day to protect yourself won’t prevent identity theft – but it will help minimize your chances of falling victim.

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Eight people have been arrested in Cleveland, Ohio for their involvement in an identity theft ring headed up by a man already behind bars.

Andre Reese, 37; Jeffery McClain, 39; Kevin McBride, 34; Michael Sailes, 51; Edwin Peavy, 52; Daniel Ashford, 37; James L. Wiggins, 47; and Jay Williams, 27, have all pleaded guilty to charges relating to an identity theft ring headed up by Dimorio McDowell, 34, of Atlanta, Ga. McDowell’s current sentence expires in 2014, at which time he will begin serving the 14-year sentence for this case.

Federal prosecutors say McDowell was able to get personal information communicated to him while in prison, including names, addresses and Social Security numbers of credit card holders who were customers at various department stores. He would then contact the stores and add additional users to the accounts, or open new accounts in the person’s name.

McDowell worked with the newly-arrested crew, which used the fraudulent cards to purchase $254,000 in merchandise.

Consumers have to be careful with their credit and debit cards when shopping in public. Make sure to keep your credit card in sight at all times. If a clerk takes your card to swipe it for the purchase, ask him or her to do so in your presence. If they refuse, pay in cash or don’t make the purchase.

Why is this important? Crooked clerks take the card out of your sight in order to not only scan the card for your purchase, but also to run the card through a skimmer, an electronic device that records the information found on the magnetic strip on the back of the card. The information can be collected on the skimmer and later downloaded so that a thief can use it to commit crimes or sell it on the Internet for a profit.

If you are using a debit card for your purchases and are asked to input your PIN number, be aware of your surroundings. Make sure no one is standing too close to you, and cover your hand as you punch in the numbers. Take a good look at the machine also, and make sure hasn’t been tampered with. Crooks can attach skimmers to debit card readers as well.

Does all this seem a bit paranoid? In the eyes of some people, perhaps. But if you want to protect yourself from identity theft, isn’t it better to err on the side of a little paranoia?

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Since the earliest days of automated teller machines, banks have had to deal with thieves figuring out new and creative ways to commit crime. ATM theft in the form of “skimming” has become more common in recent years.

Card skimming is the practice of collecting ATM card numbers and personal identification numbers for the purpose of stealing money from bank accounts. This is done sometimes as simply as watching customers as the use the ATM, called “shoulder surfing,” and taking note of the PIN number as it’s punched in.

Thieves have also gone high tech, installing false card readers or “skimmers” on top of existing ATMs. The skimmers read the card information and store it, until the thief can retrieve it via computer. This can be done via computer or even, in some cases, wirelessly via smartphone.

The stolen information can then be used to empty a bank account in no time – no debit card needed. A thief can simply purchase a blank gift card and enter the information onto the card’s magnetic strip. The card can then be used just like the original debit card.

Skimmers have also been used at gas stations, installed on the pumps, and at restaurants and department stores, installed at point-of-sale credit card swipe stations.

While most people are aware of the fact that skimmers exist, they often don’t know what to look for or how to identify a skimmer. It’s important to be sure to examine an ATM carefully, looking for anything that looks out of place or unusual before using it. If signage is covered up, blinking lights are blocked or something on the unit appears to have been tampered with, do not use the machine, and notify your bank immediately. If the machine looks different than the last time you used it, go inside the bank and inquire if changes were made.

If you are purchasing an item in a retail store or paying for a meal in a restaurant, it is a good idea to be sure that your credit or debit card never leaves your sight. In other words, ask the waiter to swipe the card at your table if possible. If that isn’t possible, go to the register to pay for your meal yourself. The same goes in a retail store; ask the clerk to swipe your card in front of you, or follow them to the register where this will be done.

Thieves often hire young people working in restaurants and retail stores to skim cards, paying them top dollar to steal the information on the thief’s behalf. Don’t be shy about asking for this: you are protecting your personal information, and you must be vigilant.

To help consumers understand what skimmers can look like, and learn how to identify them, we’ve included some photos in this post. Of course, not all skimmers look the same, so be cautious and examine the machines you use carefully an thoroughly.

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Eight people have pleaded guilty to using skimmers to steal more than $736,000 from customers at Washington, D.C.’s M&S Grill, Clyde’s Restaurant and 701 Restaurant, according to federal prosecutors.

The participants in the scheme were arrested in April. Five of them were restaurant servers and surreptitiously used hand held card skimming devices to record information from the magnetic strip on customers’ credit cards. They then sold the information for $20 a card to the ringleaders in Maryland.

Those men copied it onto their own credit cards. When those cards were used, the stolen accounts were charged. Once they’d gained control of the accounts, they bought expensive purses and clothes from Gucci and Barneys, and televisions and iPods from Target.

The ringleaders are identified as Joseph A. Bush III, 28; Aaron D. Gilbert, 25; and Erick V. Burton, 38. The three men will be sentenced by summer’s end.

The servers involved in the scheme will be sentenced within the same time frame. They are Jamaal Snowden, 26; Lavell Payne, 41; Simone Carrie Diane Folk, 28; Vasha Monique Carter, 31, and Shannon Eileen McLaughlin, 23. All have pleaded guilty to conspiracy commit access device fraud.

The investigation began more than a year ago when Citibank contacted the Secret Service after receiving calls from cardholders complaining about charges they said they didn’t make.

Nearly 1.5 million Americans are enrolled in LifeLock’s identity theft services plan. Visit LifeLock.com to learn more about their comprehensive and innovative services. Enroll using the LifeLock promo code DEFENSE and pay only $9 a month and get a month of free services.

At the end of the 30-day free period, your card will be automatically billed $9 monthly unless you cancel within that first 30-day period. You can cancel anytime without penalty by calling 1-800-LIFELOCK. This offer is for new LifeLock members only.

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A gang of identity thieves has robbed more than 250 victims of more than $500,000 by inserting skimmers and mounting cameras on Staten Island ATMs.

The skimmers gathered account information from the magnetic strips on the users’ cards, and the small pinhole cameras recorded PINs as they were entered into the keyboards of the machines. The stolen information was then applied to bogus cards, which the criminals were then able to use to withdraw cash.

The perpetrators audaciously strode inside Sovereign Bank locations on Henderson Avenue and Amboy Road, where they modified the banks’ ATM machines. Bank security cameras recorded images of three men thought to have committed the heist while they were installing the skimmers and cameras, or while they were making withdrawals from their victims’ accounts.

One of those victims, Robert Schwartz, was reviewing his accounts online last month when he spotted a couple withdrawals he didn’t make—one for $600, and just minutes later, another for $400.

“They took out the maximum for the day. I was just lucky I noticed it before they hit me for another $1,000,” Schwartz said.

LifeLock provides innovative and comprehensive identity theft services to nearly 1.5 million consumers in the U.S. To learn more about how they can help you protect your identity, visit their website at LifeLock.com. Become a using the LifeLock promo code DEFENSE, and get the lowest available price of only $9 a month and 30 days of free service.

At the end of the 30-day free period, your card will be automatically billed $9 monthly unless you cancel within that first 30-day period. You can cancel anytime without penalty by calling 1-800-LIFELOCK. This offer is for new LifeLock members only.

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You’ve heard it a thousand times: Never let your credit (or debit) card out of your sight. Granted, it might be a little awkward, or even embarrassing, to follow your server from your table to the cash register when you pay your check, but in the Washington D.C. area there are .75 million new reasons to do it anyhow.

Five servers at five upscale D.C. area restaurants have been arrested and charged with using skimmers to add $750,000 in debts to customers’ credit and debit cards.

The restaurants involved are Clyde’s of Gallery Place, M&S Grill, 701 Restaurant, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and the Gaylord Hotel.

The servers accused of credit card fraud are Lavelle Denise Payne, Shannon Eileen McLaughlin, Jamaal Snowden, Vasha Monique Carter and Simone Carrie Diane Folk. The servers allegedly funneled the credit card data to Joseph Artemus Bush III, Erick V. Burton and Aaron Gilbert.

Bush allegedly converted the stolen data to clone credit cards, used them to buy American Express gift cards at Target and Walmart stores, then used the gift cards to make purchases as expensive stores like Gucci and Barney’s of New York. He was caught several times by video surveillance camera conducting transactions using the counterfeit cards.

Skimmers are easy to buy, easy to use and easy to conceal as demonstrated in this video.

In the D.C. the stolen data stayed local, but very often the large caches of data are traded, bought and sold in forums and chat rooms on the Internet. LifeLock employs several tools and strategies to safeguard your personal and financial information, including eRecon, which monitors thousands of these websites.

Visit LifeLock.com to learn more. Enroll in their identity theft service using the LifeLock promo code Defense and pay only $9 a month – the lowest price available anywhere.

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