Rob is, by his own description, a cautious gay man when it comes to his personal data.  An avid news hound, the West Hollywood resident was well aware of the dangers of identity theft, even knew that theft of personal data was way up from last year, when it was mentioned to him for this story.

In fact, the incidence of identity theft tripled since 2006. More than 162 million records have been reported lost or stolen in 2007, triple the 49.7 million that went missing in 2006, according to USATODAY's analysis of data losses reported over the past two years.

Which is why Rob is so cautious about giving out his personal information, credit card number and social security number on almost any form except his tax returns. "Even my doctor asks for my social security number; I know it's not necessary, so I don't give it," Rob said.

"I don't shop on any merchant site unless I know them, and even then, I read reviews of any site before I do business with them," said the licensed cosmetologist.

Despite his cautious nature, Rob (who asked that his last name not be revealed for this article), Rob received a letter from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for Professional Licensure with the following ominous greeting:

"[We] regret to inform you that your social security number [was] inadvertently included on computer disks sent to individuals requesting information about the Department of Professional Licensure.  It appears the disks included social security numbers and names..."

While the disks were subsequently recovered, or so claimed the letter, and they didn't believe his information was compromised, they suggested Rob place fraud alerts with the three big credit reporting agencies (more on that below).

Weeks after the incident, Rob says he's incredulous that this could happen so easily and randomly.

"It makes you a little paranoid," said Rob, who now lives in Los Angeles, but had his cosmetology license issued in the state of Massachusetts, where he grew up, back in 1990.  "It made me realize, any confidential material, no matter what you sign, may end up compromised one way or another."

While it's little consolation, Rob is hardly alone.

Last year, news stories written about data losses included 98 companies, 85 schools, 80 government agencies and 39 hospitals and clinics, according to tech security Website Attrition.org

The letter Rob received suggested he place fraud alerts with the credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian, and Transunion.  So while the letter assured him that his personal information had been retrieved and said to be secure again, his concerns were hardly allayed.

"Just getting the letter and suggesting I contact the credit reports didn't instill any confidence that this kind of thing wouldn't happen again," said the cosmetologist. "I called all three reporting agencies, then I logged online, as they instructed, and put up three 90-day credit alerts.  The awful part is, even as I filled out their forms, I felt unsure. After this incident, I didn't feel an overwhelming sense of confidence going to their Website, knowing all my information was going off into cyberspace."

A credit freeze bars anyone from having access to your credit report and credit score without your permission, which means identity thieves will have a tough time opening an account in your name. Even if they know your name, date of birth, and Social Security number, lenders generally won't issue new credit without first seeing a credit report.

To put a freeze on your file, you'll have to send a certified letter to each of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, or this can be done online. In most states, the service is free for identity-theft victims who provide a police report or a copy of a warning letter, similar to the one Rob received. Otherwise, you'll pay about $10 at each credit bureau, unless your state mandates a lower fee.

While the freezes are effective, they are a pain in the rear if you're shopping for a mortgage, auto loan, insurance, or a new credit card. That's because you'll have to temporarily lift the freeze using a pin code each time you apply for a new line of credit. Companies you already do business with, though, can still access your report; the freeze only affects new lines of credit.

To check freeze fees in your state and get instructions on how to place a credit freeze, go to consumersunion.org/securityfreeze.htm.