People moving need to be wary of identity theft

There are a lot of things for people to consider when they're going through a move, from packing all of their moving boxes to choosing a moving company. But HousingWatch.com says that people moving are also more vulnerable to identity theft.

The first step in identity theft protection is making sure that all mail is forwarded to the new address by submitting a change of address form at the post office. Once the mail has started at the new location, check and make sure that everything is coming to the new address, and no mail is still going to the old address.

People who are moving should also take care to shred any paperwork such as credit card offers instead of just throwing them away. Scam artists will often notice when a family is moving away, and use that opportunity to go through their trash.

The Federal Trade Commission estimates that identity theft in the U.S. costs more than $50 billion every year, and victims often spend thousands of dollars working to clear their names.

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