shredding

Dumpster Diving Reporter Hits the "Jackpot"

2008-11-20T08:26:00.001-08:00

A reporter in Pennslyvania decided to try dumpster diving! Interesting idea...rifling through bags of garbage she found everything you'd expect, rotting food and its not so pleasant smell. But past the trash, she found papers and mail. After just 20 minutes of searching, she hit what an identity thief would call "the jackpot,” by finding a document with a social security number. She then took that paper back to owner and asked him if he had forgotten that his social security number was on it?

The owner didn't think much of it because he didn't have much money for anyone to steal. Surprisingly, he said he'd do it again.

At another dumpster she found a bag with close to a dozen documents with one man's social security number, date of birth, and signature. Also in those papers: His two year old son's social security number and date of birth. So she asked him why he just threw away the valuable information.

That man said "I mean some of the documents I did realize my social was on there, but I did not realize somebody would go through my garbage to get it."

That's exactly what federal authorities say hungry identity thieves are banking on. A person's identity is stolen every 76 seconds. In 2007, there were 800,000 reports of identity theft nationally and most are done through dumpster diving. Authorities say a social security or bank account number could make it very easy for someone to take your identity, to spend your money and even apply for credit cards in your name. It's not just about how much money you have in the bank. It's about taking your identity, pretending to be you and applying for more and more credit IN YOUR NAME. They could rack up tens of thousands of dollars in your name or in the name of your child.

What can you do to protect yourself? Authorities say there are some basic steps to follow:
-Be wary of phone calls and e-mails from people claiming to be bank or creditor officials wanting to verify personal information. Remember, most of your information should already be on file.
-Check your bank and credit card statements monthly to make sure there aren't any unfamiliar charges.
-Get a credit report every year will also alert you to any fraud.
-Finally never throw away personal information without shredding it. That includes anything with your social security number, bank statements, checks and credit card applications.

Once every 76 seconds!

2008-11-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

I just heard another startling fact today on identity theft. Once every 76 seconds! That is how often identity theft happens in the United States. ID theft can ruin your credit and reputation, causing your hard-earned money to go astray and putting a very black mark on your credit report. It's amazing to me that so many people are still not protecting themselves by shredding their personal materials. The days of keeping your records for seven or ten years have passed. We are in the sad time where you have to protect what you used to think is your personal property. Once it hits the trash can, it's public domain and anyone can dumpster dive and steal your identity. It's a crazy world we live in but it's a reality and I'm hoping that more people become aware of the three best ways to protect themselves...1. shred, 2. shred, 3. shred!

TOP 10 CONSUMER SCAMS FOR 2008

2008-09-28T04:05:00.000-07:00

Identity Theft
Predatory Lending
Door-to-Door Sales
Phishing and Pharming
International Lottery Fraud
Internet-based Business Opportunities
Nigerian Advanced Fee Scams
Online Auction and Job Site Scams
Mortgage Foreclosure "Rescue" Schemes
Automotive Purchase and Repair Schemes

The New Laws on Shredding

2008-09-17T07:42:00.000-07:00

You've heard about shredding. You understand that it's probably a good idea to shred any receipts that have your credit card numbers or other personal information on them to stop identity theft.
You may have seen shredders at the office or noticed bulging trash bags of thin paper strips in the dumpster when you're walking the dog past a local business at night.

But now there's a law with a provision going into effect this summer that says if you employ even one person - a nanny, a yard man - and you have their personal information because you're doing the right thing and paying Social Security taxes, you have to "destroy" the information before you throw it away.

You have to shred it or burn it or pulverize it. Or you could get sued. Or fined. Or become part of a class-action lawsuit by enraged nannies whose personal information has somehow gotten out.

Identity theft is on the rise so why shouldn't your employees except to be protected by their employer. The law is on their side. You must shred everything that has any personal information on it.

Think about it...you don't want your medical records out there for anyone to see. It's the same thing. That HIPAA form you sign every time you go to the doctor offers you the privacy you'd expect from the medical industry. They are required to shred even a phone message with your name on it!

The consumer protection laws work in the same way. No one has the right to put you at risk for identity theft. So protect yourself, your employees and your clients by shredding everything. When it doubt shred it!

Shopping Tips to Avoid Identity Theft

2008-08-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some good tips to help protect your identity while shopping.

Before you head out to the mall take out all the unnecessary credit cards and debit cards. You should never carry your Social Security card but if it is in there take it out and save it in a safe place.
Watch out for crowds. Pick pockets and purse snatchers like to hide in crowds. Stolen purses and wallets are still the number one way to steal your identity.
Avoid debit cards and check cards. They simply don't offer the same protection from fraud that credit cards are required to have for consumers.
Make sure the stores aren't printing your entire account number on your receipt. I see this most often in restaurants.
If you are shopping online this year make sure the web site is secure. You can check this by making sure the address has an https:// instead of the http:// on the order pages. You should also read their privacy policy.

Secure Your Shredding

2008-08-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

For years, companies have been routinely shredding physical documents to ensure that confidential and sensitive information doesn't fall into the hands of competitors. This practice is partly due how easy dumpster diving can be.

Companies believed they were doing their due diligence when they created policies that stated, for example, "any paper containing personal information such as, but not limited to, name, Social Security number, address, phone number, and/or other personal medical or financial information, prior to disposal, must be shredded to protect the privacy of the persons involved."

They had a policy. They had a shredder. Problem solved. But not for long. New technologies are making it increasingly easy to reconstruct virtually any document, and if you are worried about the security of sensitive material, you should know a little bit about document shredding and document reconstruction.

Shredders themselves come in two basic varieties, strip-cut and crosscut. A strip-cut shredder cuts the paper into strips ranging from a quarter-inch to a half-inch wide. Strip-cut machines are more popular because they are usually less expensive, tend to be pretty durable and generally shred faster than crosscut models.

Rather than cutting paper into strips, crosscut shredders reduce it to smaller particles-resembling rectangular confetti and measuring approximately one-quarter inch by 1.5 inches-and provide much more security than strip-cut machines. Putting the document back together would essentially be the same as reassembling a giant jigsaw puzzle whose pieces have little color.

In addition, because of the smaller cuts, bags of crosscut shredded material occupy less space than those containing strip-cut remnants. With crosscut shredders, documents are cut in two directions, producing very small particles. Because the particles are so small, they are self-compacting, reducing overall bulk.

Shredding reconstruction basically works this way: Once technicians receive document shreds from a client, they determine whether the original document can be salvaged. Then they feed the strips into a scanner. The scanner reads each strip, which is given a unique identification number so that it can be matched to a page. At that point, the software takes over and performs reconstruction.

But thieves are coming up with their own ways to reconstruct shredded documents. The best way to beat them is with a cross cut shredder or a secure shredding vehicle. Secure shredding vehicles come to your facility or your home, take your locked shredding bins and dump them directly into a shredder. No human hands touch your materials and everything is contained in a secured truck, mixed with other materials so that nothing can be reconstructed. It's the safest way!

How safe is your facility?

2008-08-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

Today's media shows us how identity theft and corporate espionage usually start right in the office.

29% of employees spy on co-workers looking for confidential company and/or personal data. (USA Today)
Among the ten million cases of identity theft in 2003—workplace is the most common crime scene. (Kilpinger’s Personal Finance 2004)
Companies are 15 times more likely to experience employee theft than customer theft. (ADP.com)
Internal theft is the cause of failure of one third of all businesses. (LPT Security Consulting)
70% of information theft is committed by insiders such as temps, contract workers, disgruntled employees and people moving to other companies (BusinessWeek)

The fastest-growing crime

2008-07-19T03:30:00.000-07:00

Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the USA, according to the National Crime Prevention Council. About 7 million people had their identities stolen in the year ended July 2003, according to two studies done by Gartner Research and Harris Interactive.
Each will spend an average of $1,495 and 600 hours getting his or her finances straightened out, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. And that's not counting lawyers' fees.

Overall, the market for shredders, including big commercial machines that handle tons of paper at a time, is about $350 million a year. Revenue has been growing in the low double digits every year, he says. The main fuel now is the home and consumer market. Revenue for personal shredders has grown 20% to 25% over the past three years. In fact, shredders are the fastest-growing segment of the total office products market.