In today's world there are multiple things which identify you as the individual you are. This can be your name, social security number, driving license details, TIN or income tax identification number, your car's number plate, your address. This can also extend to your presence on social networking sites like facebook, twitter, orkut, et al. Identity theft is the situation when someone else comes to know about one or more of these information and he is using it without your knowledge or consent.

Say your social networking profile is hacked and someone else gets the password. He can now use it to send messages to your friends, get your personal information, messages. Or someone comes to know about your social security number or your credit card number. He can fraudulently use this identity information in some transaction, with the result that you end up being responsible to the transaction. This can happen, even though, you didn't do it. Your identity was stolen and used.

The immediate question that comes to mind on identity theft is "identity theft what to do" in case of your identity theft.
- In case the identity theft has happened with respect of something which can get you legally liable like socially security number, credit card number or tax identification number, you should immediately inform the concerned the governing authorities for them about it and make sure that any transaction with them is not only cancelled, but the user is also apprehended.
- Inform the local law enforcement authorities, like police of concerned government office about the identity theft, so that any action using the identity information doesn't make you liable
- What to do in case of identity theft on things like you social networking sites or your email account. In this case you should inform the service provider immediately and use your personal identifying information to retrieve the password and your profile. Then check if the account has been misused and relay apology or warning to let people report you back in case it was misused.
- As long term measure, make sure that you protect you identity information and avoid slipping it to anyone. When someone on call asks you for any of this information, make sure that you verify the person on the other end to avoid identity theft. Avoid 'identity theft what to do' kind of situation.
- Keep your passwords protected by not using common words as passwords. If possible keep some letter small and capital letters and use numbers and special keys as a combination to create strong passwords. This will help you avoid wondering ' this is identity theft what to do'.
- Never keep your personal information like social security number or account passwords in your wallet. In case of credit cards make sure to attend to your wallet and not lose it. You really don't want to end up in situation of 'identity theft what to do'.
Remember, your identity is yours. Identity theft causes mental hassle to you. It also puts you under the risk of legal proceedings against you. It can make you financially liable. Protecting it is not only your duty but also in your best interest. Make sure that you are always attentive to your things which constitute your identity and keep yourself safe from identity theft. This will help you always avoid the situation of 'identity theft what to do'.