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Consumer Protection Week Focuses On Identity Theft

DENVER (CBS4) - One of the top consumer complaints every year is identity theft, and there are so many easy ways to protect yourself.

As technology evolves, so do the criminals who use it. One area being highlighted this week is the ever-changing crime of identity theft. One problem is there are so many different forms.

"From Internet, mail, phone calling, every kind of medium, they're after you and they're trying to steal your identity," Hope Marie Sneed with the Better Business Bureau said.

Even though there are many ways to steal your identity, one of the most common ways is by going through your trash. Sneed says you should still shred anything that has personal information on it.

"Especially cross-cut, that's the big thing. Most people have just the single shredder, and that's not good enough anymore," Sneed said. "There are people who spend the time and tape that back together."

The following are some the other dangers being highlighted this week to help consumers protect themselves:

- Financial fraud scams: With many Americans in debt, fraudsters take advantage by using debt relief scams, tax scams, and other financial fraud scams. Scams target individuals and typically leave them worse off than when they started.

- Dietary supplement dangers: Dietary supplements may seem harmless or even beneficial but are not evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration for their safety and effectiveness. They may also contain questionable ingredients that can cause physical reactions.

- Lottery and imposter scams: They are used on the elderly. A typical scenario involves a fraudster convincing someone they've won the lottery, but in order to collect the prize, they have to pay taxes up front.

For a complete list of what's being offered during Consumer Protection Week, visit DenverBBB.org.

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