One of the most terrifying things on the planet is identity theft. I remember the 1995 film “The Net” starring Sandra Bullock where she had her identity stolen. It seemed so impossible at the time. Now it is a terrifying reality and occurs for thousands every day.

Let’s face it - we've all done it. You get a receipt from the ATM and toss it in the trash or the floor. Say you're a member at First Capital Federal Credit Union. As reported in www.ydr.com.

What's really on that receipt, anyway? It seems like it is just A few numbers, your name, and the credit union. So what? It doesn't even list your full account number.

First of all, you're telling someone you have an account at First Capital. With that little bit of information, a really smart identity thief could actually call and obtain additional personal information. Pretty soon, we're convinced we're talking to that person.

I am sure you heard about the data theft when criminals forced their way into Target's system, gaining access to guest credit and debit card information.

Information stolen, according to the retailer's website, includes names, mailing addresses, email addresses or phone numbers. Target estimates that up to 70 million individuals could be affected.

The Horrific Repercussions

If your data was used to borrow money or purchase items, it can be a long road to repair your credit. It is going to negatively impact your credit report for a long time. It could impact your ability to get new credit cards, get a job, rent a home, anything like that.

So what should you do to protect yourself? We will look at this in our next stoptheftclass.com blog.