CreditBloggers: When Retailers Put Your Identity at Risk: "The Texas AG is now investigating whether the dumped records have been used to defraud RadioShack customers. In the meantime, he's charged the company with violating Texas identity protection laws by exposing thousands of customers to identity theft.

RadioShack hasn't returned my calls. (I'm trying not to feel too bad about that -- they wouldn't talk to the Washington Post, either.) But in an official response, a RadioShack VP did acknowledge the breach: 'Our Northshore Plaza store in Portland, Texas, is part of a shredding program we have in place throughout the state for the secure disposal and destruction of such documents as required by Texas law. In this isolated instance, the store did not act in accordance with this program.'

The mea culpa from RadioShack -- and, for that matter, the charges brought by the Texas AG -- will be cold comfort for any RadioShack customer who has his or her identity stolen thanks to some clueless employee's poor judgment. Frankly, it also fails to inspire confidence. Will I ever use a credit card at RadioShack again? Not likely.

Then again, thousands of other businesses are just as careless, and I'm sure I do business with some of them. Even in places with strong laws to protect your identity and account information, major data breaches happen on an almost daily basis at businesses, schools, hospitals, and government agencies. It's enough to make you stick to cash -- or just stay home.

Unfortunately, most people don't consider that a practical option. So how can you protect yourself when making a purchase or applying for credit from a retailer? Here are a few suggestions:

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