BOSTON — Edward Palleschi, undersecretary of the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, is bringing attention to the importance of Identity Theft Awareness Week. This week, spearheaded by the Federal Trade Commission, is filled with educational events to help consumers better understand how to protect themselves from identity theft. Here are some tips to help keep your information safe:

1. Regularly review credit and bank statements, checking the charges on accounts, as scammers might attempt to make small purchases using your information.

2. Get your mail every day. Scammers can steal your identity by fishing through bank or credit-card statements in the mailbox, so by picking up your mail daily, you help reduce the chances of this happening.

3. Shred documents with personal information before discarding, such as receipts, credit offers, loan payments, credit applications, insurance forms, bank statements, etc.

4. Change your passwords often and avoid short or easily guessed passcodes, like your pet’s name.

5. Refrain from sharing personal, financial, or healthcare information online, on the phone, or through the mail.

For more information, visit mass.gov/ocabr.