It's very frustrating when it happens, but you can protect yourself.
Identity theft continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. In Central Indiana, police say it's one of the hardest crimes for them to investigate.
Trish Whitesides told Eyewitness News she was a victim of identify theft, "Things with our social security number on them, our accounts on them. We know how vulnerable we can be with all of that."
The Indianapolis resident made Saturday's Community Shred-It Day at Channel 13 a priority. She was a victim of identify theft a few years ago. Whitesides said, "Years ago someone stole my phone card and racked $800 worth of charges on my telephone bill."
A professional shredding machine takes less than one minute to shred an entire box of documents.
At the event, WTHR employees also helped get rid of printers, computers, and TVs. Electronic data can be deleted, but professional services make it permanent.
Sgt. Steve Dubois with Crimestoppers told Eyewitness News, "The main thing is don't let it out the door in the condition that someone can read it."
Metro police have an entire staff devoted to identity theft cases, they are difficult to solve.
In 2010, the US Department of Justice found seven-percent of all households had at least one member of the family become victim of identity theft.
Police say some thieves don't even need every number on your credit card or your full social security number to steal your identity. At-home shredding techniques may no longer be enough protection. Trish Whitesides echoed that advice,"Don't put anything in your trash, it can be gone through. Nothing is safe anymore. There are predators that go into your trash to find important numbers."
Experts also say do not share your birthday on social media sites. Never share the exact month, day or year when you are born. Giving away too much personal information on social networking sites allows thieves to easily steal your identity.
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