How to protect from identity theft ?

I think that the biggest thing is to be cautious and ask a lot of questions before you give out personal information to anyone. Use common sense and logic. If it does not seem like there would be a reason why a particular person or business would need specific information from you, then don't give it and ask why they need it. Be careful about using credit cards and debit cards, too, especially at low security places such as gas stations and ATM machines that are not located within a bank (many that are inside banks are locked and you need to swipe your debit or credit card through the door just to get inside to use the machine). Otherwise, these places could have hidden cameras or other devices that will steal your account number and PIN, so they can access your accounts. Also, if you have the opportunity, get a debit or credit card with fraud alert. My parents had this on one of their cards, and the company called them immediately when someone tried to use their card in a different state from where they lived. If they had said they were traveling, then the transaction would have gone through, but they weren't so it was rejected.