At home

Check around your property and make sure it is secure against burglary with locks on the doors and windows.  You might also want to consider putting a fence and locked gate around the rear of the property as well to help improve home security, and make sure when you go away from home you lock everything up and shut all of the windows.  Keep all of your important documents stored in a safe place away from prying eyes, such as a locked filing cabinet, and make sure any key identity documents such as your passport or birth certificates are locked in a secure safe or strong box.

Out and About

Try not to carry too many credit/debit cards and checkbooks around with you when you leave the house, and only take key ID documents if you absolutely need them.  If you need your ID document as proof of age for going into bars and clubs get a CitizenCard (UK) or student card (US) rather than taking your passport or driver license with you, as these will be easier to replace if they get lost or stolen.  Never leave your wallet or belongings unattended, and if you do lose any plastic cards then report them to the provider immediately to help prevent any fraudulent activity.

On Holiday

Inform your credit card provider that you are going on holiday and only take one or two plastic cards at most with you.  Keep your passport and plastic cards with you at all times, and don’t leave it in the hotel room when you go out for the day.  Never leave your luggage unattended, and keep a close eye on your bags when you are travelling through busy airports or train stations.

Criminal Charges
Impersonating another person whilst being charged for a crime is a very serious issue, as all of the charges will then be recorded in an innocent person’s name.  This can have devastating effects for the victim of this type of impersonation fraud, meaning that they could in effect have a criminal record until the matter has been resolved, which could prevent them from applying for jobs, lose them their current job and even see them arrested under a live warrant and detained by law enforcement agents.  It can be very difficult resolving criminal charges recorded falsely in another person name and it can take a lot of time to go through all of the legal red tape to clear your name, and cost a lot of money in legal fees.

Credit Fraud
Criminals can steal enough information about you so that they can impersonate you in order to access your existing credit accounts, or to set up new credit accounts fraudulently in your name.  It can be difficult and time consuming to resolve cases of credit fraud, as in many cases you will not discover the fraud has taken place until the damage has been done, and then you will need to spend a great deal of time and money trying to prove your identity was misused, and gain reimbursement for any charges or debts run up falsely in your name.