The news constantly features stories of major data hacks where millions of passwords and credit card numbers end up in the hands of criminals. No retailer seems too big to be impervious to online hackers.

But while the attention these days is all about digital security, sometimes the most common identity theft perpetrators are committed to the old fashioned way.

It doesn’t take much skill and planning to swipe your physical credit card, social security card, or documents with sensitive information. Whether it’s someone digging through your trash looking for bank statements, or a house cleaner who gets a little too curious about what’s in your desk drawers, identity theft can be a very simple, and painful, result.

We all have small, important items that we don’t carry with us every day - store credit cards, social security cards, passports, photocopies of our cards and IDs (ironically, to have as reference if our wallets are stolen). These sensitive materials can all easily fall into the wrong hands. Cleaners, dog walkers, guests, friends of friends - people we’d least likely suspect can often be the ones we’re most vulnerable to.

It can be extremely painful, costly, and time-consuming to repair the damage of a thief charging on your credit cards or opening new accounts under your name. Small, valuable items can easily be kept safe in your home or office.

In most situations, a simple deterrent such as a personal safe can stop wandering hands in their tracks. Keeping those valuable and personal items behind lock and key means the difference between a quick theft followed by hours, days, or weeks of damage control OR peace of mind and security in your home.

It’s time to lock it all up!