It seems we never stop hearing about, and some of us are becoming victims of, scams. There are online scams, phone scams, texting scams, phishing scams, and so many more.

Scammers can victimize even the most celebrated and intelligent individuals. Remember, years ago, one of the members of Clinton's inner circle caused a significant problem by clicking on a scam link?

If we believe all the experts, it's not safe to go out, answer the phone, watch your mobile device, click on a link, or sign in via email. We want to warn you about another type of scam or fraud that could significantly negatively impact your financial life. No one wants to be the person who has to rebuild their savings after the bad guys loot and run up credit cards.

Do you know what synthetic fraud is? According to Forbes, Synthetic Fraud is someone who takes over your or another victim's identity using a real person's name and some real information.

A fraudster combines a stolen Social Security Number (SSN) and fake information, such as a false name, incorrect address, made-up date of birth or new phone number to create a false identity. It's one of the most difficult forms of fraud to monitor and catch because fraudsters will sometimes take years to build good credit using a fake profile before making final fraudulent charges and abandoning the identity (called "busting out").

How do you protect yourself from the chances of being a victim of the 6 billion dollar synthetic fraud industry? Here are a few tips:

Don't Carry These Items!

Make sure you don't carry a blank check with you. I know some people still pay with checks.

Leave your social security card in a secure location. If someone gets ahold of your social security card, it's game over.

Subscribe to a credit protection service to alert you if there's a spike in your credit score.

Don't carry too many credit cards with you, and keep track of all the cards that you have in your name. Organize, organize, and organize.

Make sure to keep items secure. In other words, don't leave your car unlocked with your house key and old receipts and credit cards on the floor.