With shopping online at your fingertips, you have to take some precaution so that you are not a victim of identity theft.
Digital certificates. An independent company such as Verisign will authenticate the identity of the web site.
Internet browser. Use the latest internet browser to make sure the data is protected using the latest encryption technology.
Privacy policy. Read the company's privacy policy to ensure that your personal information won't be sold. Trust-E, an independent company, reviews a company's privacy policy to make sure that industry standards for consumer protection are met.
User ID and passwords. The user id and password to a website will have your personal information. Identity thieves will call and pretend that they're from the company. They will ask for your user id and password. Keep them confidential and only give it out if the requestor can send an email requesting it.
Internet purchases. Confirm the purchases by checking email and bank account for accuracy.
The Future of Identity Theft
Biometrics, a field of technology devoted to identification of individuals using biological traits. These biological traits are physical attributes that are unique for each individual. They consists of fingerprints, iris/retina, facial structure, speech, facial thermograms, hand geometry and written signature.