federal prosecutors have broken what they’re calling one of they largest hacking and identity theft cases they’ve ever seen. according to an article in the washington post, prosecutors arrested 11 people for stealing more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers from at least nine united states businesses and then selling them. according to the article, the thefts began in 2003 and ran through this year, though the largest case unfolded in february 2007. prosecutors said the crime ring spanned from the united states to eastern europe and east asia.

it’s just unreal how prevalent and easy identity theft is. if you think about it, when you go through a drive-thru and they take your card, you never know if they write down your credit card information or not. i’ve been more conscious and aware of what goes on around me since my wallet was stolen a couple of years ago. luckily, someone left it at a branch of the bank i use and nothing was taken, but it really scared me. when we went to new york a couple of weeks ago, i kept my arm securely around my purse. you can never be too safe, and i’m sure many people who steal wallets out of purses are so good at it that the victim isn’t even aware right away. it’s all about being proactive. once your wallet is gone, you have to hope you cancel all your cards before they are used. to me, the biggest ways to be proactive are keeping tabs on your belongings, like keeping your purse zipped up when you’re walking around, using cash in drive-thrus or using identity theft protection companies like lifelock.

what about you? do you have any tips to keep your identity safe?