Is it true that you should keep your driver's license number private? Can hackers use that information to steal your identity?

Glenn Huestis, via e-mail

I remember when people commonly had their driver's license number printed on their checks as a convenience. Those days are long gone: It's no longer safe to share that number.

The chart below lists various private numbers and other data that you should be wary about providing to strangers--on the Web or anywhere else. Revealing such details can put both your identity and your money at risk. Never put this information in an e-mail or instant message, never reveal it over the phone (unless both you and the person on the other end are using cell or landline phones--not VoIP), and never enter it in a form located on an unsecured Web site (look for "https://" to the left of the address to confirm that the page is secure).

Even on a secure site, you should be wary of sharing any of this information. Does the site need the info and have a right to it? Don't enter it at a site that you reached by clicking an e-mail link (for that matter, never click e-mail links; instead, go to the site by typing its correct URL into the address bar and pressing <Enter>).

Lincoln Spector

Information to Keep Private