The statistics of ID theft have become so high that most people either know somebody who’s had his identity nicked or have experienced it themselves. It’s a appalling thing to go thru and an enormous mess to try to get cleaned up. It can imply hours of work, calls, court cases, and plenty of hassle that no-one wants to handle. It can be something that will haunt you for years every time you try to purchase anything on credit. There are ways to protect yourself, and indeed all way of protection should be exhausted to keep your identity safe.