Identity thieves use a variety of methods to gain access to your personal information including:

• Stealing your wallet or purse containing your indentification, credit, and bank cards.
• Stealing your mail, including your bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, and tax information. Also stealing your garbage and looking for discarded information.
• Fraudulently obtaining your credit report by posing as a landlord or employer.
• Buying your personal information from "inside" sources. For example, an identity thief may pay a store, restaurant, or hotel employee for information about you.
• Taking information about you from the Web.