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QUINCY, ILL. -- You are ten times more likely to get your identity stolen in America than you are to have your car stolen.

That's why it pays to be prepared when it comes to fighting identity theft.

With students leaving for college in the coming days, it's good to refresh yourself and them about identity theft.

We spoke with an employee of LifeLock about the importance of protecting your identity.

You should never carry your social security card or number with you.

Keep it locked up in a safe place.

Mike Prusinski with LifeLock says, "If someone got a hold of your social security number, they can go out and get a job. They can get medical treatment. They can even file your tax returns before you do which allows the other person to get your refund, leaving you answering to the IRS why you are double filing."  

Look at it this way, it's almost a guarantee someone out there somewhere wants your social security number. What they do with that could be devastating. That's why you should be proactive.

Prusinski says if someone asks for your social security number anytime, but specifically as you're registering for class, or filing out paperwork, you need to ask these three questions.

Prusinski says, "Why do you need it? Second of all, how is the data being stored? Is it encrypted or is it a paper file? And last but not least, ask the question, if something happens to this, if it gets lost or stolen, what are you going to do to fix my problem?"

Just remember you can deal with a case of identity theft for years. And just when you think it's cleared up, something else could happen. Remember you should never carry your social security card with you. It should be locked up somewhere safe. And don't leave things just lying around in your dorm room like credit card bills or bank statements. A third of all identity theft happens by someone close to you. It's called friendly fraud.

And as always, watch what you post online.

Obviously, you wouldn't post your social security number on Facebook or Twitter, but there are other things to be aware of before you social network.

The people who do this can be great social engineers, and they can take little pieces of information you post, put the puzzle together and start ripping you off.

Prusinski says, "We encourage people to get a shredder as well. These criminals can get something as simple as an envelope from your bank and now they know where you bank. They know your name. They know your address. Now they can go to public websites that have more information about you that they can get to for free. They can pull off even more information."

You'd be surprised the damage that can be done this way.

A thief could walk into your bank and take money out of your account or apply for credit cards and really do some damage.