Credit companies are getting personal to make sure you are who you say you are.

Imagine your bank asks you to tell them the color of your car or to identify an old address where you lived years ago.

It might sound peculiar, but these are just some of the ways credit companies said they are protecting your account.

However, is your privacy still at stake?

Debra Scholl likes to use her credit card for online purchases. When her husband travels for work, he too uses a credit card to pick up charges.

"We're in different states and we spend a lot of money on our credit card," said Debra Scholl.

She said she was not surprised when the credit card company called to check in.

"They had called us initially to verify, make sure we knew about the past five charges," said Scholl.

But before she verified the charges, she had to verify her identity by answering a series of multiple-choice questions, such as where she lived in 1989, what kind of car her husband currently drives and what her mother-in-law’s maiden name is.

"Businesses are moving away from using Social Security number as an identifier. You prevent identity thieves from using stolen information," said Chris Rickborn with Verid, a company that helps some of the nation’s biggest financial institutions and many retailers keep away potential identity thieves.

"We might ask you about some type of historical information about your background that you can answer relatively easily," said Rickborn.

The questions are all derived from public information and is compiled from a variety of sources like bills, court and municipal records.

"We do use facts in the information that typically an identity thief would not have access to," said Rickborn.

With close to 9 million cases of identity theft last year, consumer advocates said while extra security measures can be a plus, they could possibly invade your privacy.

"Consumers really don't have control over their personal information," said Beth Givens of Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

Rickborn said your personal information is always kept private. The quizzes given by banks and retailers are multiple choice.

"We never disclose the right answers. In other words, even our clients don't get to see. We simply return a pass or a fail," said Rickborn.

Credit companies said the questions they ask are already public knowledge, but they said only you will know all of the information off the top of your head.