What do making a credit card purchase and taking your trash out have in common? They’re both great opportunities for identity thieves. Always on the prowl for new victims and new ways to victimize, identity thieves have ruined the credit of millions of Americans, leaving their victims with the monumental task of wrestling with huge corporations to restore their good name. In the meantime, the victims are denied loans, low-interest rates, jobs, and all the other benefits that come with a solid credit rating.

Wade Young has seen the devastation wrought by these unscrupulous criminals. The key, he says, is to prevent identity thieves from getting their hands on your personal information in the first place. To do this, Wade has developed a set of techniques that anyone can use to keep the bad guys at bay.

Wade will clue you in to these credit-protecting tips and more:

•    Watch how your card is swiped. Crooks get jobs at retail establishments and restaurants in order to
steal private data.

•    Keep low balances in your checking account and don’t use overdraft protection.

•    Beware of phishing, the practice of luring victims to Web sites that look legitimate to get their
personal information.

•    How to properly dispose of old computers.

CREDENTIALS: Wade Young is a mortgage broker and personal finance expert. He is a veteran of dozens of radio and television shows in the U.S. and around the world.

AVAILABILITY: Florida, nationwide by arrangement and via telephone
CONTACT: Wade Young, (720) 381-8302 (CO); fax (720) 941-6255 (CO); wade@reddoorhomeloans.com; www.reddoorhomeloans.com