According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 17.6 million persons, or about 7 percent of U.S. residents age 16 or older, were victims of identity theft. In fact, two thirds of the victims experienced a direct financial loss, while 14% of which lost $1,000 or more. But there is an easy and quick way to help protect your identity for free. By law, each year you are entitled to see your own credit report from the three major credit bureaus. The only requirement is you have to ask for it. So make sure to request your annual reports for free at www.annualcreditreport.com. With the report in hand, you can check for any suspicions. Forbes personal finance contributor Laura Shin advises, “if you believe you’ve been a victim of identity theft, file reports with the Federal Trade Commission and your local police, close the affected accounts and follow the steps on IdentityTheft.gov. Keep records of all your correspondence until the matter is fully resolved.” Alternatively, you can check your free credit score and free report online at CreditKarma and can dispute directly from its site. (forbes.com)