Lisa Erwin, senior counsel and Seattle Section Chief of the Attorney General of Washington’s office and Jean Mathisen of the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) Fraud Fighter call center, presented some basic ways to protect yourself from identity theft.

• Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet.

• Photocopy your Medicare card and cross the number off of the copy. Keep the letters A or B that are on the card, then put the copy into your wallet. Keep the original card in a safe place at home so you can pick it up when you have a medical appointment.

• Don’t give out personal information over the phone, unless you are positive of the caller’s legitimacy.

• Don’t carry PIN numbers or account passwords in your wallet.

• Only carry what you really need in your wallet and know where to call if a credit card or other identification is lost or stolen.

• Check your mail promptly each day, consider a locking box and stop mail when you go on vacation. Also watch out for missed bills that could have been stolen.

• Don’t put outgoing mail in your box. “Putting up that red flag on the box is like Bob Barker yelling, ‘Come on down! I’ve got something good for you to look at!” said Mathisen.

• Use strong/hard-to-memorize passwords for your computer. Don’t save passwords online or tape them to the front of your computer.