David Lee Fairchild was sentinced to 35 years in jail for stealing the identites of 10 people. Technically the charge he was arrested on was fraudulently possessing 10 pieces of others peoples’ identifying information.

This is the first time that Wichita County has imposed such serious penalities upon offenders for this type of case. The state Legislature came through with measures that made a difference in this type of case, said Maureen Shelton, first assistant criminal district attorney with Wichita County.

Mistakes on credit reports do happen.  You can usually get them disputed and removed.  But how do you know when a mistake is identity theft?  You won’t always be sure but look for these common indicators:

* Multiple errors.  A pattern of errors may show intentional abuse
* Long term errors.  A card with an ever growing balance and no payment could be an intentional scammer.
* Problems that occur perennially.  If you fix one issue only to have a second your issues may be malicious.

Remember that vigilance is your best friend.

Talking on your cell phone may seem like a private conversation but if you are not a home it isn’t.  Remember that you are talking in public.  What is a no go topic?

* Your financial information
* Passwords or pin numbers of any kind
* Basically, anything that you would not tell a stranger

If you do not believe that people can hear you just think back to your last time on a bus, in a mall or an elevator when someone was talking on their phone.  You got to hear every word, didn’t you.

We all love to talk about ourselves but when you are talking to a stranger that becomes dangerous.  Resolve not to make it easy on an identity thief with these tips.

• Online Dating and Identity Theft: A Guide to Caution

• Rubber Duck Identity Theft Test on Facebook: How Your Identity Can Be Stolen

• Consider All Your Profiles When You Do Security Analysis

• Identity Theft and Online Gaming

• Facebook to Change Privacy Policy

It is easy to let your guard down when you are having fun or when you are in a familiar place.  Sadly, a potential identity thief knows this.  Luckily you can outwit him.  Resolve to do so in 2010.  Need logistical help?  Try these 2009 posts.

• Black Friday and Identity Theft

• How To Opt Out of Pre approved Credit Offers

• How To Opt Out of Pre approved Credit Offers

• More Tips For Keeping Your Mail Safe

Shopping online is fun, it gives you a lot of opportunity to compare prices and to get things you couldn’t locally.  It is also a prime way to get your identity stolen.

Resolve only to buy from reliable sites in 2010.  How can you tell?  Some of these great 2009 posts can help you out.

• Beware Online Coupon Sites

• How Do I Know if I Can Trust an Online Shopping Site?

The odds are good that someone out there has the same name as you.  Or, at least a substantially similar one.  If you don’t believe it, just Google your own name.

So, how worried should you be about people who can legally use your name?  Well, that depends on a few factors:

1. The commonality of your name.
2. The impressiveness of your credentials.  (The more impressive they are the more tempting they will be)
3. How good your credit is and how diligent you guard this fact.

Be wary, and always check your credit report.  Even if that other John Smith isn’t dishonest the credit reporting agencies can make a mistake.

When you are conducting a personal data security analysis you need to look at some basic questions:

* What information is freely available to the public?
* Is this information enough for someone else to pose as me?
* Am I giving away critical data like my employer, banking, or demographic data?
* Would I feel uneasy with a stranger knowing this about me?

Once you have answered these you will know if you are giving away too much.

When you look at the security of one of your online profiles it is practical to look at each one individually but you need to consider them on the whole.

A person who is looking to steal your identity will not limit themselves to just one site.  They will use any and all available information to get what is yours.  That means in order to prevent your ID from being stolen you need to look at things on the whole.

What should you look for?  The same things you look for in each individual site.

You decided to try online dating.  It can be a lot of fun, if you don’t get burned in the process.  Aside from worrying about sexual deviants and possible serial killers you have to be worried about having your identity stolen.

Some people are creating phishing profiles designed to ensnare the lonely.  How can you spot one?  Just look for a girl (usually these profiles are female) that is too good to be true.

Does she look like a super model, love Stargate SG1 and the Denver Broncos?  Proceed with caution.  Beware if she is also, “open to experimentation” and lists beer as her favorite food.  You’ve found a honey pot trap.