Phishing is used by identity thieves to get consumers to provide their most personal and financial information. The scam is that the victim is sent an e-mail that appears to be from a legitimate source, like a bank, credit card company or government agency. The e-mail asks for the information, often stating that the need for the information is urgent. The message sometimes goes so far as to threaten to close an account if the information isn’t provided.

According to a survey, 22 percent of those receiving the e-mails readily supply their information as requested. Thirty-two percent of those receiving the e-mails click on the link embedded within it to verify the source, when more often than not, the link leads to a phony site or is outfitted with malware.

To protect yourself, be sure to use strong spam filters to minimize the amount of unwanted or unsolicited e-mails you receive. Use a trusted URL checker to confirm the legitimacy of any website you see in an e-mail.

Make sure that the website you are visiting is the real deal and that you have a secure connection. Look for “https” in the URL, rather than just “http.”

Update your firewall, anti-spyware and anti-virus software, as well as your operating system patches. These can help block access to your computer from the Internet.

Don’t respond to unsolicited e-mails, or click on any links contained within them.

Not in this day and age. These days, identity theft is a reality that no one can afford – and that includes students. Teenagers and young adults tend to think they’re bullet-proof, but they are very vulnerable to identity theft.

A recent study showed that it task 18- to 20-year-olds twice as long to find out they’ve been victimized by an identity thief. By then, it’s safe to say it’s too late to do anything but clean up the mess left behind.

What can the average student do to prevent identity theft?

While away at school, make sure that your mail is secured. You may even want to consider asking for a paperless option when it comes to your finances. If you’re receiving academic records or a loan check in the mail, be vigilant and check your mailbox often.

Before you throw out any documents that contain sensitive information, be sure to shred them. Identity thieves will dig through the trash. And don’t think that tearing something up is enough – it’s not.

You should also be careful when conducting business online or on social media sites. Share only what is absolutely necessary. Be sure to load the latest protection software onto your computer, make your passwords difficult, and change them often. Don’t use public Wi-Fi when conducting personal business.

If you receive an unsolicited e-mail or message in a social media application, don’t click on the links within the message and don’t download any software or plugins, as these can often contain malware that can steal your information and destroy your computer.

By being extra careful, taking these simple steps, and staying alert, you can make sure your school year is a success – in more ways than one.

More than 40 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds have never heard of malicious software, according to a recent survey by McAfee. Only one in five are using privacy controls with Facebook. And most do their banking on their laptops, phones or iPads. Without the proper protection and knowledge, it’s easy to see that this is one group of identity theft-vulnerable people.

What can students do to protect themselves? First of all, they must make sure their computers are free of any threats by using a diagnostic tool to detect malware, Trojans and other unwanted programs. They should also make sure to install security software that will protect against viruses, spyware, adware and identity theft. Running a daily security scan is also a must.

Don’t fall prey to phishing scams. You may get e-mails that look like they’re legitimately from your bank, but it is most likely a phishing scam seeking to get your personal and financial information. Don’t click on any links contained in any unsolicited e-mails, or download any software or plugins.

You should also review your credit and bank statements to be sure there are no unauthorized or fraudulent transactions. If anything looks out of place, call your bank or card issuer immediately. You may even want to place a credit alert on your credit file with the three credit bureaus.

It’s easy to not maintain vigilance when you’re worried about a date to the prom or studying for finals. But it’s a must. Your personal and financial information are your most valuable asset – and you have to treat them as such.

While most identity theft takes place when the victim is still alive, there are cases in which the victim is deceased. There are a number of steps you can take to prevent your deceased loved one from being victimized in this way.

First of all, after the deceased person’s estate has been disbursed, close as many financial accounts as possible. Notify the companies managing the accounts that the account holder has died, and that anyone who attempts to use the account is doing so fraudulently. You should also notify the three credit reporting bureaus, to prevent anyone from obtaining a credit card in the name of the deceased.

Put a stop to the junk mail at the home of the deceased. Identity thieves often steal mail that contains pre-approved credit offers, which they can fill out and receive a credit card, using the false identity. You can use the Deceased: Do Not Contact registration form to opt out of receiving junk mail.

After a person has died, relatives should inform every government agency with whom the deceased conducted regular business. This includes Social Security, the post office and the IRS.

Last, limit public information. When publishing an obituary, limit the information you put in, especially with regard to financial matters and the names of close relatives.

Take these steps and you can be sure your loved one’s identity will be safer.

There are those that argue that voter fraud rarely happens, and these laws are overkill. But the laws and stricter enforcement of the laws can help prevent an identity thief from using a stolen identity at the polls, or using the polls as a place to steal information.

But voter ID laws don’t prevent voter fraud. Instead of combating a problem, the laws seem to create one by singling out minorities, the poor, students and the elderly. Women who are recently divorced or married also will struggle within this restriction.

In order to cast their ballots in Kansas and Wisconsin, voters must show a photo ID issued by the state or federal government. Three states that require ID but no photograph – South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas – changed the laws there to require photo IDs and giving voters two to six business days after the election to produce the necessary ID. If the documents aren’t produced, the voter’s ballot will not be counted.

For women who are recently married or divorced, their legal names will not match their current photo ID, and they will have to fill out a substitute ballot, and come back with valid documentation like a certified court document showing a divorce decree or marriage license.

These new laws will be in effect in seven states by February 2012, prior to the spring primaries.

This is just one more incentive to urge consumers to better monitor heir credit reports and scores. While an identity theft protection program can be a great asset in this fight, consumers should also take steps themselves. Here are six ways you can defend yourself against identity thieves.

• Don’t throw away any documentation that bears your personal or financial information. This includes bills, credit card offers and bank statements. Invest in a shredder and shred these documents before you dispose of them.

• Compare your receipts against credit card bills to be sure they are correct. This can help you identify fraudulent charges on your statements and deal with them more quickly.

• Don’t take your Social Security card out of your home or away from your safe deposit box unless absolutely necessary.

• Have your mail held when you are out of town.

• Use a different password for every online account you have, and make your passwords difficult to decipher, using numbers, upper and lower case letters and symbols.

• Learn about the current identity theft scams and how they work. Knowing the scams can help prevent you from falling victim.

But don’t get comfortable, and don’t think you’re invincible. There are still things you can and should do in order to protect your personal information from misuse.

First of all, you can place a fraud alert with one of the three credit reporting bureaus, and that bureau will report the alert to the other two. These alerts are free and can be placed online, or by phone or mail. An alert, however, isn’t always enough, so you may wish to consider placing a security freeze on your credit file. This will prevent your credit being reported to third parties like credit grantors, unless you give permission. Credit freezes are not free, however.

You can and should monitor your credit report, whether you are concerned about breaches or not. This will enable you to stay on top of your account activity and you’ll catch any fraudulent or inaccurate entries more quickly.

You should also stay alert for signs of identity theft like failing to receive your mail or monthly bills on time, being denied credit or offered less favorable terms, and receiving calls or letters from debt collectors for accounts you didn’t open.

To prevent identity theft, you need to set up your business and employees to follow basic security practices to physically protect your customers’ information and your business data. Make sure your information systems aren’t open targets for identity theft. But how?

First, secure your business property with locks and alarms. Make sure external doors have deadbolts and that exposed windows are secured with security film, bars, screens or shatter-proof glass. You should also make sure your business records are stored under lock and key. This includes customer records.

Business records of any kind should never be tossed into the trash can or recycling bin. All business and customer records that you no longer have a use for should be shredded. This includes mail that has your name, business name and address on it.

Be cautious on the telephone. It’s easy for a person to pretend they are someone else. Don’t give out information over the phone unless you can confirm the caller’s identity.

Limit access to your computers. Password protect them and grant access on a need-to-know basis. Your computer network needs to be protected by firewalls, and make sure you have loaded the latest in anti-virus and anti-spyware software. You should also make sure to install the latest updates on your software.

The Internet can be a dangerous place. If you place orders online, be sure you only do so on a secured site. You may also wish to restrict Internet access among your employees. When an employee visits a site, he or she could inadvertently download malware, putting your entire system at risk.

When an employee resigns or is fired from your employment, make sure their access to your computer network is cut off completely.