A new study conducted and released by Unisys Corporation reveals what most observers and pundits have been saying about our collective jittery nerves lately. With this new level of fear come concerns about fraud and ID theft reaching new heights  and threatening Americans more than ever.

According to the story published on Webwire: “The research, conducted with the latest Unisys Security Index, also confirms that most people are much more worried about their financial security, which saw a 12 percent spike when compared to results polled in September 2008. 

This concern now ranks as Americans’ number one security fear for the first time since Unisys began the global study in 2007. Conversely, the current data also shows the lowest level of concern about national security issues among U.S. consumers.”

The Webwire story goes on to report that more than two thirds of Americans are extremely worried or very concerned about other people obtaining and using their credit or debit card details, with 90 percent at least somewhat concerned.

The better news is that most of the identity theft strategies I’ve written about for some time now, can still protect consumers even in an age of unparalleled financial uncertainty.

By protecting your personal, private and proprietary information, you can still mitigate the effects of our current financial crimes tsunami. By guarding your credit and debit card numbers, bank account numbers, social security numbers, checking account numbers, pin numbers, passwords and computer files……you take away the match sticks that could ignite into to a personal financial firestorm.

None of these methods (including credit monitoring services) are guaranteed to prevent your information from falling into the wrong hands. Careful monitoring of billing and banking statements, credit reports and other financial and medical records will keep you positioned to spot a potential problem.The businesses we frequent also have a responsibility to protect our data and our dollars.

The Unisys study goes on to report: “Banks and businesses need to understand that customers are more wary than ever about using services that may compromise their personal data. If economic concerns increase these fears, companies need new strategies to strengthen customer confidence through accountability and transparency, which also plays to part of the Obama administration’s call to action for government and business.”

The fear gripping our economy is understandable, but we can take proactive steps to minimize our exposure. As a last resort, we can all just repeat this prayer:

“Lord, defend me from my friends; I can account for my enemies.” — Charles DHericault