Identity theft can happen to anyone in any number of ways. Check out these real life ID theft horror stories and what you can do to avoid a similar fate.

The latest twist on credit card account closures involves card issuers closing out select credit card accounts without even warning you beforehand. Even consumers with good credit aren't immune.

It happens all the time: You swipe a credit card to buy a new pair of jeans, pay for a fancy dinner or withdraw some cash. Each time a transaction occurs, a flurry of digits and codes moves from one location to another.

We all like to think we'd know better if we can across a scam -- but to stay on your toes you have to believe it could happen to anyone, even you. Karen Blumenthal breaks down stereotypes to help avoid getting caught by fraud.

Public government records, combined with information most publish on social networking sites, can make your social security number far more accessible to others than you'd like.

Although debit card growth recently eclipsed credit card growth, credit cards still have many advantages over credit cards. Five primary advantages center around consumer protection issues.

Financial scam artists' recent successes prove both their own resilience as well as law enforcements' shortcomings in their inability to stop them.

Noting that senior citizens are more susceptible to scams, some states are proposing increased penalties on their scammers but many legal experts oppose singling out seniors.  

Clear up your house, make your finances more manageable and lessen the prospect of identity theft by trashing consumer bills, credit card statements and other disposable financial statements.

The federal government is warning social security recipients to beware of scams as it sets out to disperse billions in stimulus funds.