For nearly a decade, Joanna Saenz has been haunted by identity theft. After first losing her ID at 17 years old on a vacation trip to Mexico, she found out that her identity had been used to make major purchases, including a house. Joanna’s nightmare, while extreme, shows that any one of us is vulnerable, no matter how young.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has some great advice for how you to keep close tabs on your own identity. As well as the immediate steps you should take if you discover your identity has been stolen.

No one expects to be the victim of a crime, but it can happen to any one of us. If you find yourself a victim of any crime, where can you turn to? The important thing to remember is that you are not alone, you can be empowered, and this week at the AMW Safety Center you can learn how. We’ve teamed up with the National Center for Victims of Crime to help point you in the right direction to finding justice.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as many as 9 million Americans are victims of some form of identity theft every year. Whether conned into a phishing scam, visiting a malicious website, or having your mail stolen from your mailbox, there are hundreds of ways that lowlifes can take advantage of you and grab your personal information.

Your best defenses against ID theft are knowledge, awareness and eternal vigilance against scammers. The AMW Safety Center has plenty of strategies for stopping con artists in their tracks, and with some help, it’s easy to protect yourself against these would-be thieves. Check out some of these resources to help keep your personal information secure.

Make Shopping Online a Private Affair

Are you Leaving an Online Trail For Crooks To Follow?

Protect Yourself from Online Crimes

Identity Protection Toolkit

As Americans struggle to stay afloat during these tough economic times, it seems everyone is scaling back on their purchases. But sometimes, you come across a deal on a product with an offer that seems too good to refuse. Unfortunately, scammers are out in full force to take advantage of shoppers searching for deals and often making offers that are too good to be true.

Whether pulling the old bait and switch, or offering miracle cure-all products, false advertising is illegal. We have some great advice here at the AMW Safety Center from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help you recognize these false claims, and what you can do to protect your wallet against them.