Thursday, February 22, 2007 Older Editions

Guarding one's identity

A decade ago, few people had ever heard of identity theft. Now, despite repeated warnings about phishing, phone scams and other ploys, con artists are reeling in more and more victims. In Andover, the number of victims has risen slowly over the past few years, say police. Criminals can find the Social Security or bank account numbers they need by going through the trash, conning a businessperson or eliciting information online or over the phone.

But there are steps we all can take to protect ourselves. The Federal Trade Commission has plenty of information about identity theft protection online and through a booklet. People can shred unneeded paperwork that contains account numbers and other information. Some advice is self-evident: don't give out personal information over the phone or online if you did not contact the company yourself.

As for online offers, the same advice that held true in the Stone Age still holds true in the age of the Internet: If it sounds to good to be true, it is.