Dumpster Diving |
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They say that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” This
is exactly true in the case of identity thieves. There is that
time each month when we all have to pay our bills. We check our
bank accounts and make sure that we have enough money in them so
that we can pay off our
various utility and credit card bills. After paying them we
irresponsibly throw out the bill receipts as we think that the
amount has been settled.
This common practice of many Americans is how most identity
thieves thrive.
Many identity thieves collect the personal information of their
victims through the process of dumpster diving. They rummage
through trash to find the remains of old credit card bills, bank
statements, and other financial documents. By collecting such
personal information, it becomes easy for them to take control
of your financial assets. Postal mail plays a major part in
Dumpster Diving. Normally credit card companies over-burden
customers to offer pre-approved credit cards and Loan offers. If
this mail is not used by the addressee and it is not properly
disposed of, it could fall into the hands of a “dumpster
diver.”
Based on the reports of identity theft victims, 88% of the
information was collected through the means of “dumpster
diving.” Only about 12% of victims believed that their
identities had been stolen over the internet. The Federal Trade
Commission estimates that over 9 million Americans fall prey to
identity theft each year and that 3.7% of purchases made by
Americans are fraudulent; made with money that is not theirs.
About 48% of victims find out that their identity has been
stolen within 3 months. Another 9-18% find out only after a
period of four years or more. On
average 66% of victims’ personal information is used to create
new credit card accounts. Another 28% of victims personal
information is used to purchase cell phones and service plans to
accompany them. For an unfortunate 12% of victims, warrants are
issued for their arrest under
financial cases and suits. Victims spend an average of 330 hours
trying to repair damage that is caused by identity theft.
These facts and figures on “dumpster diving” and identity theft
in general are alarming. It raises awareness that we must
all be very careful with the personal information that we throw
out. There are people out there who are willing to go through
your trash, collect the information, and cause financial harm to
you. So it is imperative that we must take good care of all of
our financial documents and make sure that we properly dispose
of them. For example, be sure not to throw out documents that
have information concerning your Social Security Number, Driver
License number or bank account numbers. Be sure to shred
important documents that you wish to throw out. Also, never
throw out credit and debit cards as it; make sure to cut them
into several pieces first. Identity theft through dumpster
diving is very easy to prevent as long as you are aware of it.
Just take the extra steps to be sure that important personal
information is not thrown out and is disposed of in the correct
manner. This way, we can all prevent financial harm.
Especially if you are a business or a company, your information
is critical since you could be compromising not just yours but
your customers’ and vendors’ private information as well. Say No
to identity theft and yes to Shredding. That’s the only way to
reduce dumpster diving
mishaps.
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We are bonded and insured |
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ShredEx is capable of providing document destruction for both small businesses as well as large corporations. Whether you require a "one-time" use for the purge of archived documents that you are no longer required to maintain”
Mayer Kotlarsky
DMD Pharmacy Services |
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