Identity thieves can obtain access to your personal and financial information in a number of ways. Below is a list of only some of the ways that identity thieves get your personal information and take over your identity:

• They steal wallets and purses containing your identification and credit/bank cards.
• They steal your mail, including outgoing mail, which contains your bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit card offers, tax information, mortgage statements and medical information.
• They complete a 'change of address form' to divert your mail to another location.
• They go through your trash or the trash of local businesses looking for personal data ('Dumpster Diving').
• They burglarize your home and steal your financial information.
• They obtain personnel records from your place of employment.
• They steal personal information that you provided on the Internet.
• They fraudulently obtain your credit report by posing as a landlord, employer or someone else who has a legal right to the information.

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