The identity theft criminal has many ways to abuse your personal information and utility fraud is one of their favorite schemes. Utility fraud is currently rated the number two type of fraud in the United States and is actually higher then credit card fraud in certain states. Utility fraud is relatively easy to commit and is the practice of an identity thief using your personal information to obtain utility accounts such as gas, electric, water and sewer, cable, and other services. The thief can also setup telecommunication accounts such a home or cell phone and in many cases a thief needs only your name, address and phone number to commit utility fraud. About 15 percent of senior victims report that an identity thief obtained unauthorized telecommunications or utility equipment or services in their name. In order to avoid utility fraud it is imperative that you keep a tight rein on all of your personal information. Burn or shred any documents or mail with your personal information on it instead of putting it in the trash as many thieves are not above dumpster diving.