Top 5: Don’t let love steal your identity

During the initial stages of meeting someone online, specifically on dating sites, be forthcoming but also be vague with personal information.

“The amount of information people give in the beginning is shocking,” Levin said.

Getting to know someone doesn’t mean giving out home addresses and upcoming personal plans, like vacations. In some cases, Levin has seen people give out their entire birth date, which seems fine but really affords the other person many avenues to steal identities. Turns out, it doesn’t take too much information to get credit cards and loans.

“In the beginning, just tell them the year you were born, if that.”

Some dating sites offer double-blind email systems, which allows users to protect their true identity while still allowing effortless communication.

“More dating sites are getting better at using such systems,” Levin said. “Some sites are getting even better at educating people about the hazards of giving out too much information.”

Most people are aware that the world is watching you when you’re on social networks like Facebook.

But because criminals are five years ahead of police when it comes to criminal techniques, Levin said users should never offer relationship status updates.

“In a lot of cases, men and women will leave the status up and complain about troubles they’re having, and the person they find a shoulder to cry on will end up taking advantage of them,” Levin said. “They pull information right out of them.”

In the good old days, a ring hung around your girlfriend’s neck was good enough.

Now it’s passwords.

“People share them, and that’s bad,” Levin said.

A 2011 phone survey by Pew Internet and the American Life Project found that one in three teens had shared a password with a friend, boyfriend or girlfriend. In fact, it’s become the new expression of intimacy, Levin said.

But a password is the secret key that unlocks your life, which can lead to identity theft, arguments over misinterpreted email, unauthorized account use and a host of others.

So think twice before giving it away to just anyone, Levin said.

Divorced, separated, broken up – whatever you want to call it, don’t waste precious time: change passwords immediately on all accounts (whether or not you shared them) and make sure important documents like Social Security cards and birth certificates are kept in a safety deposit box before, during and especially after the relationship.

After you change passwords, closely monitor your accounts for months afterward to make sure no one is using them.

“And learn your state’s laws about community property and shared debt and credit,” Levin said.