Posting resumes online makes life easier for job seekers and employers... and for identity thieves. An outplacement firm I used recently said that Monster.com has more than 80 million resumes post online. People have gotten used to the idea of putting their resume online and sending it to job-search services. < p>

It may be questionable whether this shotgun approach really results in many interviews and job offers, but it's sure a bonanza of identity thieves, who get an endless supply of names, addresses, and phone numbers, and employment information offered to them without even leaving the comfort of their PC.

The FBI said during the summer that it has under investigation a number of cases of online job scams. These range from people using information from resumes to apply for bogus credit cards and loan in the victim's name to emailing job seekers pretending to be from a headhunter and requesting personal info, claiming to need it for a pre-employment background check.

Some ways you protect yourself:
* Remove personal details such as name, address, and phone number from your resume before posting it online. Some online job boards and services let you hide personal info, instead giving potential employers a link to contact prospects via anonymous email
* Never put your SSN or date of birth on your resume, says the Web site lifehacker.com
* Be wary when people claiming to be recruiters or employers call or email you asking for personal information for pre-employment screening
* Watch out for job ads in print that may be bogus–as with email ads, spelling and grammar mistakes can often be a tip-off that the ads aren't legit