Over 10 million people had their identities stolen last year according to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), a non-profit organization primarily funded by the Department of Justice.

In other words, you have about a 1 in 10 chance EVERY year of getting your identity stolen. What does it take to fix an identity theft problem? It will cost you an average of $550.39 in out-of-pocket expenses, it will take you an average of 116 hours and up to 12 months to repair the damage.

The best thing to do is to prevent identity theft from happening to you. There are some easy steps you can take.

Start by investing in a good cross cut personal paper shredder for your home and shred every document that has your personal information on it, including credit card applications. 68% of identity theft happens as a result of documents being stolen from recycle and trash bins.

All college students should also own a personal paper shredder. There are a growing number of college students getting their identities stolen, in part because they rarely shred documents containing their personal information and typically they receive a substantial amount of credit card applications and loan applications in the mail. The damage is often greater because it takes them longer realize that their identity has been stolen.

If you are clearing your files and have a substantial amount of papers that need to be shredded, take them to a drop-off site in your area. At most paper shredding drop-off sites they will shred your papers as you watch. They use commercial grade shredders that accept staples, credit cards, paper clips and sometimes even full binders. On average you can have a full bankers box of papers shredded for between $5-$15. There are several companies across the US that offer this service. Your bank may offer the service free of charge once or twice a year.

You could also have a 50-100 gallon locked bin delivered to your home. You fill it with all of your documents to be shredded and the company picks it up and gives you a certificate of destruction. This service varies by company and usually costs between $60-$100. Be sure you choose a company that is certified.

What can you do with the shredded paper in your home? One idea is to bring it to your local Humane Society! They use it to make cozy animal beds. Or you could use it to pack and ship items, compost it or put it out with your recycling.

The key is to keep your personal information out of the hands of thieves.

As you live your daily life, you need to be aware of the steps that you can take to not become identity thefts next victim. There are several common sense steps that you can take to minimize the risk to your identity. Only you truly care about the security of your personal information, so make sure you do what you can to ensure its safety.

The 5 tips outlined below are a great starting point to making sure that your identity is secure. You have to take the necessary precautions to ensure your identities security, so read the below suggestions.

1. Security of your mail: You probably receive a lot of mail that contains personal information that can be very useful to someone who want to steal your identity. Consider receiving bank statements online and opting out of receiving credit card applications to make it that much harder to steal your identity.

2. Using a debit card: Every time you use your debit card as a credit card, you are opening yourself up to have your account information stolen. Remember that purchases made with your debit card cause money to almost immediately come out of your bank account, so if your card number is stolen, your money could be gone in a flash. Use a regular credit card instead since the money isn’t drawn straight from your bank account.

3. Stop using checks: A check contains both your account and bank routing number, which can easily be used by a criminal to drain your bank account. There is no reason to use checks to make purchases with when you should really be using a credit card, which offers greater protection.

4. Virtual credit card number: Many financial institutions are offering their clients a one-time use, virtual credit card number. Because these credit cards can only be used one-time, they are basically useless if they were to fall in the hands of a criminal.

5. Personal information kit: You need to keep track of all of your account numbers associated with all of your bank accounts. You also need to make copies of important documents including your social security card and passport. You will need this information should you ever become a victim of identity theft, so now is the time to organize your financial life.

The above tips are designed to help keep your identity from being stolen. It is also a great idea to make use of an identity theft protection plan offered by a reputable company. While you can try as hard as possible to not become a victim of identity theft, it is nice to know someone else is looking out for you as well.