Here's how to keep your mortgage application information safe from prying eyes:

Your mortgage loan application contains sensitive information about your bank accounts, employer, income, credit card accounts and your social security number and is a gold mine for identity thieves.

Here's how to keep your mortgage application information safe from prying eyes and avoid being a victim of identity theft.

• Most obvious – Safeguard Your Personal Information!
• To avoid being a victim of identity, consumers need to safeguard personal information containing their name, social security number, date of birth, and address.
• Never give out personal information out unless it is absolutely necessary such as applying for an automobile loan or a mortgage loan.
• Beware of ridiculous internet offers where they offer instant credit and you need to provide credit information.
• Unless it is a lender, mortgage broker, bank – Never provide anyone copies of your tax returns, W-2s, bank statements, credit reports or pay check stubs.
• Never discard paperwork containing personal financial information unless you shred it.
• Identity thieves usually go dumpster diving – going through garbage looking for paperwork containing people’s financial papers.
• Filling out an application in a public place – Identity thieves armed only with smartphone cameras can quietly capture data from such documents without your knowledge. The best way to keep this information out of the wrong hands is to fill out the application in your own home or a secure office.
• Thoroughly shred any "practice" applications where sensitive information was penciled in.