There are several simple steps you can take to protect your credit report.
1. purchase a cross-cut shredder
2. shred everything from credit card offers to bank statments that you don’t need
3. never throw away any papers in the trash that have your personal information (ex. account number) on it
4. contact the three credit agencies and request to put a credit freeze on your account
(Equifax, Experian, Transunion)
5. Never give out your personal information to someone over the phone which you did not call
6. monitor your credit report for anything strange or fraudulent
7. signup for a service such as LifeLock.com to monitor your credit report