1) Rip up or shred bills, monthly statements, credit offers and the so-called "convenience checks" before throwing them in the trash (or recycling them).
2) Opt-out of pre-approved credit offers by calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT, a number established by the three major credit bureaus allowing you to opt out of most pre-approved credit offers.
3) Check your credit report and look for anything unusual. New Jerseyans get two free reports. You are entitled to one under NJ state law and one under federal law. Request them here per year from each credit bureau. The credit bureaus’ shared web site where you can order your free reports is www.annualcreditreport.com. Make sure to stagger your requested reports rather than ordering them all at once. By asking for each report separately, one every two months, you can approximate credit monitoring for free.
4) Avoid giving merchants more information than they need, do not have your social security number printed on your checks and do not write it on your checks. Ask for alternate ID numbers from health insurers and others that may use your Social Security Number on a card you carry in your wallet.
In addition, this fact sheet on federal protections gives detailed information about other resources available to you. Finally, visit the identity theft protection website that Governor Codey launched for other useful information, or turn to the site at the Division of Consumer Affairs or the one at the Department of Banking and Insurance.