(BPT) - Identity theft occurs more frequently in the United States than people want to believe. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, identity theft and identity fraud are referred to as “all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception for economic gain.”

The Federal Trade Commission compiles a report every year for identity theft complaints in the United States. These complaints increased more than 78 percent between 2009 and 2011. With identity theft becoming an increasing problem, Professor Duanne J. Thompson, the acting program chair of Criminal Justice at Argosy University, Atlanta, offers some advice for consumers to take in order to protect themselves from identity theft:

1. Protect your identity like you would protect your house.