A few weeks ago while staying at a hotel in California, I decided to use my laptop to see if the hotel had a wireless network I could use to access my email (I get jittery if we’re apart for more than an hour). A quick scan told me that not only did the hotel have an open wi-fi network but there were also three other networks close by, two of which were unsecured.

It reminded me of the very real dangers of using a public wi-fi network, at a coffee shop or an airport, to access the internet. I know it’s convenient and tempting (not to mention free) but the problem is that if it’s easy for you to access a wi-fi network, it may be just as easy for hackers to use the same wi-fi network to get access to your computer.

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I just read last week that the Transport Security Administration, the people responsible for protecting us when we fly, admitted that thieves managed to steal two laptops contain personal records of thousands of individuals. Less than 24 hours later, Houston staffing company Administaff admitted that thieves stole a laptop containing the personal records of nearly 160,000 employees. And the next day after that, Home Depot announced that thieves made off with another laptop containing the personal records of 10,000 employees. Sound like a trend?

No matter how you slice it, identity theft continues to be a worldwide problem. Your personal information needs protection all the time, because the slightest slip-up can provide ID thieves with the opening they need.

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There's a story circulating about how a security research firm found a hacker hiding place with a stash of stolen information on at least 46,000 unlucky victims. And further research suggested the victims probably lost that information to job search sites, possibly even Monster.com, infected with an information stealing Trojan.

The data stash included everything you don't want to lose - passwords, usernames, bank account information, even Social Security numbers.

It's a real wake-up call because it defeats much of the advice we've been giving about security for years. For example, the advice to only trust web sites you're familiar with would have been little value if it's true that some of these victims were exploited while on the Monster.com web site.

And up-to-date virus prevention may not have helped either because, according to researchers, the hackers were sending out new versions of the Trojan code every few days in order to bypass anti-virus software. 

Goes back to my best advice - trust nothing without verifying, keep an eye on your data and your credit report, and keep your fingers crossed.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people put their identity at risk every day, by not taking any basic precautions — simple identity theft protection measures that can help reduce or prevent identity theft risks.
Unfortunately, there are some things that are beyond your control — for instance, if your personal financial information is stolen from a retailer or a corporate database. But these data breaches rarely result in identity theft or fraud, and in the few cases that do, victims rarely end up paying anything. And regularly monitoring your credit report will help catching and eliminating this kind of risk anyway.
Recent studies conducted on the causes of identity theft show that most cases are of the low-tech or no-tech variety. Earlier this week, I discussed the story of a San Francisco creative consultant who lost $30,000 and went through “six months of hell” after an identity thief pilfered her personal mail box
This is an all-too-common story, where devastating identity theft and fraud can begin with the easiest of crimes.
The good news is that the most common crimes can be prevented because they’re usually crimes of opportunity. The thieves simply stumble across the victim or the opportunity rather than deliberately target them.
So what can you do to reduce the chance that an identity thief will stumble across you? Most importantly, you have to take an active role in protecting yourself. Zero liability rarely means what it says, and your bank or credit card won’t cover the real costs of an identity theft crime
In the San Francisco case, the victim estimated that the crime cost her $30,000 in lost earnings because time spent resolving the theft was time that could have been spent with her customers. And banks usually won’t make good on those losses.
Your bank won’t help you to protect your mail or the personal financial information like credit card statements, Social Security numbers or bank statements, you may neglect. It won’t help you keep an eye on your wallet or purse when you go shopping or go to work. And it won’t stop you from downloading spyware and keyloggers to your computer that can steal your account information and empty your bank account.
The bottom line is that you have to take responsibility for guarding against those identity theft risks that you do have some control over.
It’s also important to be vigilant, to the point of paranoia. There are identity thieves everywhere, so it’s important that you look at yourself like a thief would. Identify any and all behavior or habits that might make you vulnerable, then change those behaviors to create personal measures of identity theft protection.
That includes minding your mail and collecting it as quickly as possible each day, not falling for emails and phone calls that ask you to confirm your account or password, and not opening email attachments you’re not expecting — even if you recognize the name of the sender.

Planning a vacation this year? And thinking about bringing along a credit card or two for company?

Now imagine that your once-in-a-lifetime trip to Rome is interrupted by a pickpocket who makes off with your credit cards.

Do you have a plan for a situation like this? Obviously, you need to act fast to prevent credit card fraud.

What number do you call to cancel your card, and would you even be able to tell them the number of the stolen card? These are just some of the obvious risks that we never seem to worry about until it’s too late.

But knowing the kinds of problems and pitfalls that are out there can make the difference.

Here is a run-down of the kinds of credit card frauds and scams you might come across, at home or in your travels, and what you can do to avoid them.
• Keyloggers are malicious programs installed on your computer either because you opened an infected file, downloaded an infected file or visited an infected web site. Once installed, the keylogger can steal credit card numbers and account passwords.
• Theft at work is still a major problem, and dishonest co-workers can simply open your purse or wallet, take out your credit cards, write down a card number, expiration date, and card verification number and then replace the cards.
• Skimming is a growing problem, especially in supermarkets and restaurants, where thieves use a rigged credit card reader to copy the contents of your debit or credit card.
• Phishing uses increasingly clever emails that will try to trick you into giving up a bank account password.
• Pharming relies on bogus web sites created to look like those of your bank, credit union or credit card company in the hope that you’ll be careless enough to reveal some priceless information.
• Bogus web sites like those that sell the latest gadgets and must-haves for iPhones, for example, will soon be popping up everywhere. Beware…those sites are usually just traps designed to get you to give up your credit card number.
As usual, there are plenty of things you can do to protect yourself from credit card fraud and identity theft. And for the most part, they boil down to simply using common sense:
• Keep credit cards to a minimum, and when you go out, take only the one you need.
• Check your statements regularly to detect any suspicious charges.
• Monitor your credit reports to get early warning of attempts to obtain new credit under your name.
• Never buy from spam e-mail, as it’s often just an attempt to steal your credit card number.
• Don’t shop on web sites you don’t know.
• If you’re not familiar with a store or restaurant, when possible, pay with cash instead of credit cards to avoid the risk of skimming.
• Keep a photocopy of all credit cards so you can quickly respond if your card is stolen. Also, keep a list of emergency phone numbers for your card companies.
• Report any unauthorized transactions immediately. This is essential if you want to make sure you’re not held responsible for unauthorized charges.
• Opt out from pre-approved offers to minimize the risk of these offers being intercepted by thieves.
• Shred pre-approved offers so an imposter can’t use them to apply for new credit in your name.
You are your own credit watch dog, and common sense may be your most valuable weapon against credit card fraud.