Identity theft can be extremely scary, and if you have recently lost a credit card or other types of financial documents, you are at high and immediate risk of being a victim of identity theft. If an identity thief gets a hold of your social security number or your drivers license, they may even be able to pass themselves off as you. Once they have your credit card, they can actually start racking up bills in your name as well.

If you see any evidence that someone has been tampering with your mail, this may be an early warning that someone is trying to steal your identity. Also, if your credit card bills have not arrived when they should, you should starting having some serious questions in your mind. At times identity thieves can actually get these statements so you are not able to see what is going on with your finances.

Another very strong sign that you may be a victim of identity theft is that if you see bills arriving for purchases you know you never made. This is another reason that identity thieves may try to get your mail so you do not know what is going on. Some times an identity thief can actually start to have your mail delivered to somewhere else, so if you do not receive important documents like bank statements and credit card bills, you may want to start looking into the problem.

Even if your bills and bank statements are not getting through to you, you may still be able to find some signs of the problem. You may be getting receipts, follow up promotions, and even thank you letters from companies you have never heard of before. Also, you may find that creditors start trying to contact you by telephone. If this happens, then you may have been a victim of identity theft.

You may also find that you have other problems with various financial services as well. Maybe you try to get a mortgage or a credit card, only to find out that your credit score has mysteriously dropped. This means you need to get a copy of your credit report to see what is going on with your credit that you do not know about. You may also get turned down for state benefits or social security as well. If they tell you that you are already getting these benefits, then it is probably because a identity thief is already getting those benefits under your name.

At times you could even find out that someone got a mobile phone and signed up for an extremely expensive contract and phone, all by using your name as well. If you find that you have evidence of a problem, then you need to start reviewing your finances to see what is going on. If you can detect identity theft early on, you will be able to take care of the problem before it becomes extremely bad for your credit and reputation.

Leon Edward provides information online on identity theft prevention and FREE Identity Theft Prevention Checklist at his website http://www.PreventIdentityTheftFraud.com

Leon Edward also provides parents a free report of online child predators at http://www.ChildPrivacyOnline.com