What's your score? Take the ID theft quiz

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (8/23/05)—A Purdue University cybercrime expert has a simple message: Don't make it easy for thieves to steal your identity. And he's using a simple quiz to help people assess their risk of becoming a victim (Purdue News Service Aug. 16).
Scott L. Ksander, a senior forensics analyst with the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security, says thieves don't need high-tech access to computer data to steal our identities--we make our personal information available in many other ways. He uses, with permission from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, this quiz at standing-room-only public forums:

• I receive several offers of pre-approved credit every week. (5 points) Add 5 points if you don't shred them.
• I carry my Social Security card in my wallet. (10 points)
  My driver's license has my Social Security number on it. (10 points)
• I don't have a post office box or a locked, secured mailbox. (5 points)
• I use an unlocked, open box at work or at home to mail my bills. (10 points)
• I carry my military ID in my wallet at all times. (10 points)
• I provide my Social Security number whenever asked, without asking questions about how that information will be safeguarded. (10 points) Add 5 points if you provide your number orally without checking to see who might be listening.
• I'm required to use my Social Security number at work as an employee ID or at school as a student ID number. (5 points)
• My Social Security number is printed on various documents frequently seen in the workplace, such as on time cards. (10 points)
• I have my Social Security number and/or driver's license number printed on my personal checks. (10 points)
• I carry my insurance card in my wallet, and either my Social Security number or that of my spouse is on that card. (10 points)
• I haven't ordered a copy of my credit report for at least two years. (20 points)
• I don't protect my discarded personal, credit, and financial information from thieves by shredding them prior to putting them in the trash. (10 points)

Add your score. If it's 100 points or more, you are at high risk for identity theft. If your score is 50-100, you're at average risk, but your risk is higher if you have good credit. If your score is 0-50 points, you have a low risk of being an identity theft victim.