Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information and identification, such as your name, address, and Social Security number, credit cards and bank account numbers, and then uses these things to commit fraud and theft. Credit card identity theft is particularly painful to deal with. If a thief steals a credit card that you do not use often, he or she could rack up charges in the thousands very quickly, before you even realized the card was missing. You might not even be aware that the card is missing from your wallet until you receive a statement in the mail for those charges that you did not make! Credit card identity theft can be prevented with a bit of care. Never give your credit card number to anyone in an unsolicited email. Do not shop online unless you are sure the merchant web site is a secure one. Always check your card statements for charges you did not make. Do check your credit report once a year as well. This step is an important one, for it can reveal identity theft that you were not aware of.