Identity theft has reached epidemic proportions in the US and globally. In the past three years alone more than two hundred and twenty million records of private information have been stolen or lost. Matters are not helped much when banks and other credit institutions offer easy credit and produce even more potential victims for identity thieves.

These days, every newspaper and website that you check out if full of news related to how people’s personal information is being compromised or stolen. However, using free identity theft protection can help prevent you from becoming one of the estimated eight million Americans that have become identity theft victims in the year 2007 alone.

Rather than risk having your identity stolen and then having to pay to fix the problem, it certainly makes sense to look for free identity theft protection. Remember that taking a little action is a lot better than not taking any action at all.

Before you explore the idea of signing up for free identity theft protection you should first be aware that many of the companies providing these services are less than reliable and their services are not always up to the mark.

Chances are that by availing yourself of free identity theft protection you can beat the one in five odds that you are going to become the next victim of identity theft.

Coming up with an identity theft protection plan that follows common sense principles and involves acting with caution in how you use your personal information will ensure that you won’t need to start looking for free identity theft protection or worse still, need to spend to get the necessary protection against identity theft.

Some simple and free measures such as not divulging your private information to anyone, storing your social security card in a safe place as well as destroying old and unwanted bank and credit card statements will ensure that you have a reasonable chance to prevent becoming a victim of identity theft.

According to federal law, you are entitled to receive one free annual report from each of the three main credit bureaus. In addition, you are also entitled to get a free copy in the event that you have recently been refused credit or if you have been made a victim of identity theft. These are simple free identity theft protection steps that everyone can take.

The fact of the matter is that any way you can get identity theft protection, including free identity theft protection, is better than none at all.