The Federal Trade Commission: Identity Theft Prevention Website  

Limit the number of credit cards you have.  

Inspect your credit card statements closely and report discrepancies immediately.  Consumer rights do expire.

Call your credit card companies and ask that they stop sendig you "convenience" checks.

Stay organized and prepared.  Legitimate companies that you work with (banks, health care companies, credit card companies, etc.) can sometimes be hacked.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 allows every resident of the United States to order a free credit report from each Credit Bureau once a year.  Order yours and review it carefully.

Order credit reports regularly and look for problems.  Report issues immediately.

Order a credit report at least 2 months before making any large purchase to avoid unexpected problems.

At the checkout line, question companies who ask for your personal information, like your telephone number.

Do not respond to any email that requests personal information, including account numbers or passwords.  Delete these emails, or report them to your email provider as “spam”.  

Hang up on telemarketers who seem to be fishing for personal information, including your date of birth, number of people living in your home, names of family members, etc.  This type of scammer preys on the elderly by regular mail, email and by telephone.  

If you have elderly family members, check with them often to ensure they keeping their private information safe.  

Call your credit card companies and ask them to remove you from regular mail, email and telephone marketing lists.

Ask your credit card companies not to sell your name and address to third-party companies.

Call (888) 5-OPT-OUT to stop receiving pre-approved credit card applications and insurance offers.  

Opt out of email lists.  

Opt out of telephone lists.  

Opt out of mailed marketing offers:
     Direct Marketing Association
     Mail Preference Service
     P.O. Box 9008
     Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008

Opt out of telephone marketing offers
     Direct Marketing Association
     Telephone Preference Service
     P.O. Box 9014
     Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014

Companies like TrustedID, Identity Guard, Debix, Identity Truth and LifeLock are designed to watch your credit report for you and alert you to problems.  Some of these companies will send you credit reports to review quarterly as part of the monthly or yearly fee charged to enroll.  

Consider signing up for MailStopper.  For a small yearly fee, MailStopper will automatically remove you from common junk mail lists, including many catalogs and some insurance companies.  A yearly subscription applies to all members of the household receiving mail, and allows you to remove your name from only those publications you do not want to receive.

File a report with local law enforcement where the theft occurred.  Vernonia Police Officers can assist you with this.  

Contact the Fraud department for each of your credit card companies.  Ask to add a Fraud Alert to your account.  Also insist that they deactivate the stolen cards and close the attached accounts.