Beware there could be a dangerous criminal lurking around your garbage can at night or right behind you as you walk down a crowded street toward your favorite restaurant. The criminal could be a waitress that served you and your friends the daily lunch special or even a college student sitting behind a computer screen five states away. Identity thieves use a number of methods to steal your personal information costing you time and money and destroying your credit and maybe even ruining your good name. But you can arm and protect yourself by following these six guidelines.