Did you know that the number one source of information for identity thieves are the words that come out of your own mouth. In order to control this source of information you must first develop a privacy mindset. What do I mean by this? Just that you must realize that no one is entitled to know your home address, home phone and personal finance data under any circumstances, and even including the government.

I mean, we can blab about the most personal stuff without a care. I am talking about times like talking to a friendly stranger which ends up being disastrous as he uses the information against you or the family.

It doesn’t take much for a guy to find your place after you casually mention where you live. Then all he has to do is drive through the neighborhood, note when you come and go from home (especially if your wife is home alone), how many children, what kinds of cars, boats and such you have. They will even dig through your mail and poke around in the trash for useful information.

Do you really want someone to know all this? Of course not. Then the first place to start is with your own words.

So for instance, I bet you can think of a time when some complete stranger casually asked where you live. Without even thinking we rattle off something along the lines of “Over on Elm street just past the park”. Or how about the details of where you live when talking to the receptionist at the doctor’s office. Possibly you can remember a time when the gal behind the customer service desk asked for personal info for a membership to a buying club.

Or when we sign up for that cell phone we give our residence address. Or, we have done some act of kindness and a person wants our address to send a thank you note. We can’t just refuse to give our address for these because we may want some of these services.

I bet you never thought that there was a safe way to give an address when you need to. It is simply this: you use an alternate address.

There are several ways to go about this. You can use the address of a relative you trust. Perhaps you can have mail sent to public servant such as a lawyer or accountant who receives mail. There are mail receiving places that will collect your mail much like a post office does. These same agencies may even have a forwarding service if you choose to live out of the area. Still other might pay a private individual to have mail sent through their address and forwarded. Take care though as some offer to pick up packages but others won’t. Some will only take first class mail. So always ask.

After you have chosen the service you want to use, it is time to switch over your car registration, driver’s license and even the address on you personal checks. At this point, you’ll want to call your cell phone service provider to update your address too. Don’t forget all magazines you receive, too.

Don’t forget to give the credit bureau a call when you update your address. Ultimately it is your goal to have your home address completely not associated with “you” – that is your name. So when a potential thief tries to run a home address or phone number all they get is a dead end. Where you live is effectively “hidden”.

You may wish to have 2 alternate addresses to use for different things. For example, your driver’s license and registration must have a residence in your state. But financial mail and almost all other mail can have an address in another state or even in another country. Then, at your request, your mail can be forwarded to you or picked up in person by you at your convenience.

This should get you started on your way to gaining personal privacy. Just remember to keep your “trap shut” if you want to avoid identity theft.

Learn more about how toavoid identity theft. Stop by Anthony Niles’s site here:http://avoididentitythefttips.com/avoid-identity-theft-tips/ to pick up his free mini course on 7 steps to Personal Privacy.