In late January, job site Monster.com announced that hundreds of thousands of identities and passwords had been stolen by hackers.

From the Monster.com web site:

Monster Database Security Breach Official Alert

January 23, 2009

As is the case with many companies that maintain large databases of information, Monster is the target of illegal attempts to access and extract information from its database. We recently learned our database was illegally accessed and certain contact and account data were taken, including Monster user IDs and passwords, email addresses, names, phone numbers, and some basic demographic data. The information accessed does not include resumes. Monster does not generally collect – and the accessed information does not include – sensitive data such as social security numbers or personal financial data. (Editor’s Note: You can read the full post on the Monster site here.)

What Should You Do To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft?

First off, whenever using a public site like Monster, use an email account that is not your primary email. Get a free email account from Google, Yahoo or MSN and create a user name and password which are different from any that you use for serious purposes like online banking.

Second, NEVER put your Social Security Number in a public web site. Never. Ever.

Third, sign up for an identity protection service – there are several you can find here on the RateNerd.com site and they are all reliable. I know we are all cutting back on monthly expenses in today’s economy, but this is one you don’t want to skimp on. You can read more about how to protect your identity in the Credit Section of RateNerd.com, or check out this primer on how hackers steal your identity.