The same rules used for your passport should apply to your birth certificate too. Store it in a safe deposit box, and only bring it out for special cases like closing a mortgage or getting a new driver’s license. As an added precaution, Weisman suggests making photocopies of all of the contents of your wallet ahead of time so that you know exactly what was stolen. Make sure you know these other 26 secrets that identity thieves don’t want you to know