Needless to say, you probably tried to save money this Christmas. Online shopping was a great way to do this, but don’t let your frugality be the cause of future credit problems. All online shoppers should be weary of where they shop and what type of information they give when they are shopping. Identity theft in the United States reached an all time high with 9.9 million Americans victimized by this crime, according to the Federal Trade Commission. To prevent a bad credit score because of identity theft, you must know what it is, how it can seriously affect your life and what steps to take if it does happen.

Identity theft has become an ubiquitous term in today’s vocabulary. There are “blast e-mails” about it and even commercials with singing pirates advertising how to prevent it. But what actually is identity theft? According to most government and credit agencies, identity theft occurs when your social security number, name or credit cards are used without your permission.

With your name, social security number and credit cards, thieves can open new credit card accounts, phone accounts and even buy cars or houses under your name, which all amount to large sums of debt in your name. Of course, this debt will affect your credit score, which is a numerical representation of how reliable a lendee. This score can worsen your chance to get a house, a car and even a job. To all my juniors and graduating seniors, it’s no secret; employers do more than just look up your Facebook page. They are also looking into your credit history.

Understanding the severity of identity theft is the first step to preventing it. The F.B.I. reports that common ways identities are stolen are through mailbox theft, phishing, pre-texting and regular theft. Phishing and pre-texting are the most common scams people come across. The thieves attempt to get your information by straight-out asking you for it.

They disguise themselves as being a legit banking agency or company. In pre-texting, they call you and ask for confirmation on particular information. In phishing, the same thing occurs but through e-mail. They send you a “legit-looking” e-mail, asking you to go to a particular Web site and fill out an information form.

To help combat mailbox theft, you should not leave mail piled up in apartment mailbox, especially if you left for home this Christmas break. Have your mail either put on hold until you return or forwarded to your permanent address.

Another step you can take to prevent identity theft is to be cautious of who you give your information to. If someone calls asking you for information, it is best to ask them for the company they are representing and to find the company’s customer service number directly from their Web site or 411.

Most e-mails that are trying to “phish scam” you usually contain “weird” addresses. For example, an address may end in @PayPaI.com, instead of @PayPaL.com (the “L” in the first address is really a uppercase “i”). Also, any links given should never be “clicked.” You should highlight the given address, copy it and paste it into the browser address bar.

The reason is because web addresses can be hidden behind displayed text; even if that text is an another web address. If you take all the necessary precautions and you still become a victim of identity theft, there are some necessary steps to properly report it. First, contact your local police and report it as identity theft. By doing this, you can help to remedy some of the damage that occurred to your credit score. The Federal Trade Commission has a hot line and Web site form that can be filled out to report identity theft.

The FTC also suggest that you contact your bank and change all the account information that you can, including passwords to the web-account. In addition, the Social Security Agency allows you to apply for a new social security card and number.

By keeping track of your mail and important documents, monitoring your credit score, being cautious which online stores you shop at and who you give your information to, you should be able to adequately prevent identity theft.

Paul is a senior in computer and political science and stayed home all day yesterday to watch the Obama inauguration.