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1 CE
Problems with identity theft
Financial problems - okay this is the big scary one, when identity thieves steal bank information they can hurt your finances. They can take out more credit cards in your name and really hurt your credit, they can even attack investments and withdraw the money you had invested, that's very serious because they can impact your retirement and child's education.
Another very serious impact is the loss of benefits that comes when someone takes control of your SSN, they can take your benefits -
1 CE
How to keep your information safe
Be alert to impersonators - keep a keen eye on your financials and if anything seems out of place, do something and figure out what happened
Safely dispose of personal info - use a shredder to destroy sensitive information on paper, and before you throw away hard drives wipe them and physically damage them in some way.
Encrypt your data - to protect your online self, use encryption software that encodes the information you send over the internet
Keep passwords private - Don't be stupid, Stupid!