ID theft now tops the list of complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission. And, for its victims, it can have distressing, serious consequences.

*Move your Social Security card from your wallet. Store it — and all your personal information — in a secure place.
*Change weak passwords. Do you use your birth date or part of your address or phone number? That might be an easy code for a thief to crack. The strongest passwords combine upper- and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.

*Shred all paperwork with personal information before disposing of it. Get in the habit of doing this routinely with mail and sensitive material.

*Keep your eye on debit and credit cards when paying for purchases. If anything seems out of the ordinary, be cautious using your card.

Learn other ways to help protect your identity here.