HELOISE Pay-stub bookmark invites identity theft

Dear Heloise: I saw a letter in your column about someone finding a credit-card receipt in a book at a used bookstore. I found something even more astounding inside a book I took out from the library: The previous borrower had left a pay stub inside the book.
I had the person's name, address, Social Security number, place of employment, etc. If someone dishonest had found it, that person could have applied for loans, credit cards and all manner of things.
I thought you might want to warn readers about this as well -- make sure you keep track of your pay stubs. Julie, Maryland
This is scary as heck. Identity theft is rampant, and most of those crimes are committed when a thief gets hold of a lost or stolen checkbook (according to the Council of Better Business Bureaus). Many of us think identity theft is mostly an online crime, but only a small percentage (11.6 percent) occurs online.
Actually, the number of identity-fraud victims dropped to 9.3 million in 2004, compared with 2003, when it reached 10.1 million people. That might be due to educating the public about this crime.
The Better Business Bureau has a Web page, www.bbb.org/idtheft, with tips and information that can help, so hopefully you won't be the next identify-theft victim. Heloise
Dear Readers: Here are some practical and functional hints from JoAnn Volinski of Lincoln Park, N.J., for college students:
UGet hangers that can hold several skirts on one hanger -- the kind that can usually hold about five skirts, and also can hold five shirts.
UOn the back of the closet door, put a see-through shoe bag (comes in assorted sizes). Holds earrings, scarves, notepads, glasses case, needle and thread, etc.
UA kitchen hanging basket can be used for socks, pantyhose and hair ribbons.
UNo space? Tack different-colored folders for different subjects on a wall.
Dear Heloise: I'm a volunteer quilter at the Belton Senior Center in Texas. I got tired of chasing spools of thread all over the quilt. Time-consuming, to say the least.
Now, I use small margarine containers with a hole punched in the center of the lids. I put a spool of thread inside each container and the beginning of the thread up through the hole, leaving about 6 inches of the thread showing.
I've had so many say, "Where did you get this idea? You should send this to Heloise," so here it is. Lavinia McDaniel, Belton, Texas
Dear Heloise: I had been plagued by my skirts clinging to my legs, presenting a poor drape. I laid a skirt (inside out) on my bed and rubbed it down, front and back, with an anti-cling softener sheet intended for the dryer. To my delight, the skirt no longer clung to my legs. A reader, via e-mail
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000; fax to (210) HELOISE, or e-mail heloise@heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate