Expecting something important in the mail today? You might not be the only one interested in what's delivered. Thieves have begun to prey on mailboxes in the hopes of intercepting something valuable, particularly as the holidays approach.
What are they looking for?
Tax returns and refunds (and documents with personal information -- e.g. your W-2 or 1099s) -- anything that makes it easier to perpetrate credit fraud or identity theft.
A Fool reader who works for a firm that makes high-security mailboxes offered some great tips on preventing mail theft.
You can monitor whether anyone is messing with your credit cards (and thereby your credit report and credit score) by getting a copy of your credit report from all three major reporting agencies at annualcreditreport.com.
Our credit collection features much more guidance and tips, including info on how to avoid identity theft and how to dig out from credit card debt. See:
This article was originally published as Stop Identity Thieves Before They Stop Youon Fool.com
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Selena Maranjian prepares the Fool's syndicated newspaper column, writes articles for Fool.com, has coordinated the Fool's annual Foolanthropy charity drive, and has written a number of Fool books, among other things.
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