Have you received any strange phone calls lately? Have you received any strange pieces of mail? Or maybe everything is normal and nothing has happened. But beware because we are living in a strange and desperate world today where unusual things can happen. Our world is no longer local but spans across the entire world with the use of the internet.

Everyone today must take special precaution to protect themselves against identity theft. As we are using debit and credit cards more and more, our chances of having our identity stolen or being robbed are more and more. Thieves can now scan the numbers of your atm cards right after you have used an atm machine. Websites that we purchase from and input our credit card information have security breaches and we become vulnerable. Theft in today's world is becoming easier and easier. We must learn to protect ourselves against this form of robbery.

Everyone should check their credit report once in awhile to make sure that everything is correct. At the same time, you can put a 90 day security alert on your credit for free. If anything strange has happened or you suspect something may have happened, make sure to take advantage of this 90 days security alert.

Another very important thing that people seldom think about is their mail. Many people live in neighborhoods where the mailbox is at the curb. Most often, these mailboxes are unlocked. Yes, it is a Federal offense for someone to tamper with your mail but that doesn't mean it isn't going to happen.

As a matter of fact, it has happened to me. One day, after cleaning, I sat on the couch and looked out the front window. To my amazement, someone was going into my mailbox. I had already taken my mail out so there was nothing to take. But all of the sudden I began to think about how many times this has happened and I never saw it. One week later when I went to use my credit card, it was declined. Upon calling my credit card company, I found out that they had put a hold on my account because someone had placed a test charge of $1.00 on my account which was suspicious. That card was canceled and we immediately put up a locking mailbox.

I cannot stress enough the importance of having a locking mailbox. If something doesn't fit, the carrier will put it by your door. There are different types of locking boxes, and, yes, they are more expensive but they are definitely worth the money as compared to having your identity, your credit cards and your personal information stolen.