Protecting your credit frustrates ID thieves

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As longtime readers may remember, an identity thief hit me about three years ago and

opened several cell phone accounts in my name. He has struck again.

Like many consumers who have been victimized by this ever-growing crime, I didn't know anything about it until I was denied credit with a cell phone company that asked why I needed another cell phone when I already had five open with them. And, oh, by the way, you owe us $1,200.

It took a few days to clear up that episode. About a year later, the thief struck again. I was ready that time with alerts set up on my credit reports, requiring any issuer of credit to call my home phone first before approving. That's what happened, and we thwarted the attack.

That brings us to last week.

Let me reiterate the importance of protecting your credit, first of all, from your own misuse -- too much debt or missing payments -- but also from those who would lift your identity and mangle your credit as easily as picking up a piece of candy at the corner drug store.

For a detailed step-by-step approach to understanding how identity theft happens and what you can do to protect yourself, consult the Federal Trade Commission's Web page on this crime (www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm).

Here, you'll find a complete guide on how identity theft happens, and also what to do if you find yourself the victim of identity theft -- worksheets, phone numbers of the credit bureaus, and tips.

Without good credit, most of us can't buy a parking spot, much less a dream house. Don't wait until your mortgage application to see if you are who you think you are. The home purchase process is fast-paced. Don't wait until you make application to ensure you have clean credit and nothing's been attached to your account that shouldn't be there.

Is it a large problem? The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (www.ncjrs.gov) reported that in 2004, 3.6 million households, representing 3 percent of the households in the United States, discovered that at least one member of the household had been the victim of identity theft during the previous six months. Two-thirds of those households lost money due to the theft at an average loss of $1,290.