Identity theft is fast becoming on of the top threats consumers face today. With more folks using the internet and email each year, scammers are taking to the cyber-waves in an effort to take your identity and your hard earned cash.

So what can you do to protect yourself? Knowledge is your best weapon of defense. Knowing what to look for and what to avoid can help you steer clear of trouble.

Here are some tips for avoiding scam emails, also know as phishing emails:

Your luck doesn’t have to be so bad as the California man, who, in a series of unrelated events, was hit by a car on Sunday, mugged on Monday, and shot on Tuesday. But, if you lose your identity to a con man, your foul luck level could be close.

With a con man-launched barrage, stolen identities are rising at a rate of up to 10,000,000 per year, creating a problem that is now approaching crisis proportions.

If we were a fire-eating, Bible-thumping preacher, we would deliver our sermon something like quoting from a legal thriller, something like this:

While no doubt you have heard of different types of identity theft, you may not have heard a great deal about social security number theft. Most of the time when you think of identity theft you think of someone stealing your credit card number or other financial information. Although this can be dangerous and cause a myriad of problems, social security number theft is even worse.

What is Social Security Number Theft?

Identity theft is no fun. Sometimes a few simple action steps can go a long ways towards successfully helping you avoid making errors or slip ups that could result in identity theft. Start by making positive adjustments in your life and place of business so that you can avoid identity theft in your life…

If you go to apply for a loan or credit card, you may be asked a lot of security questions. And it may not be because someone stole your identity and is using it to buy things. It may be because they are using it for another identity, either real or fictitious, and buying things or stealing with it.

For example, you may work for years for a company. And meanwhile, social security is being reported to your social security number. However, if the number shows up under someone else’s name and not yours, you may have a difficult time trying to collect what you’ve worked so long and hard to build up for yours self when it comes to retirement years.

Many people do not realize that there are different types of identity theft. There are indeed several ways in which the identity thief can take advantage of your personal information, while leaving you to deal with the repercussions. Here’s what you need to know about the 5 types of identity theft.

The type of identity theft you are probably most familiar with is Financial Identity Theft. It is when the thief uses your information to set up financial accounts in your name without your permission or knowledge. The thief may obtain credit cards, loans, merchandise, homes, vehicles, vacations and more, all in your name. Financial identity theft can definitely cost you thousands of dollars in debt, not to mention the painstaking process of clearing your name and credit.