The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman, Deborah Majoras, shared with Kimberly Palmer from US News, some advice about identity theft.

The subsequent article covers how vulnerable the average person is to identity theft, how one can protect themselves, what to do when information goes missing, and the Chairman’s perspective on national identity theft legislation.

We’ve been moving so quickly in this information age with new technology that is so fabulous, but we left some of these safety issues behind. What we’re trying to do now is to literally catch up and develop a culture of security. It’s important not just that consumer data not be stolen, but it’s important that consumers keep confidence in the marketplace and that they know that if they go online and make a purchase, or they go into a store and hand over their credit card, that they’re not at great risk. That is really important because the marketplace is all built on consumer confidence.

63% of identity theft cases can be prevented by the consumer. Be vigilant in checking your bank information, shred private information, don’t share confidential email over email or IM, and check your credit report periodically.

Tags: ftc, deborah majoras, identity theft, identity theft prevention