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Identity Theft Prevention Tips?
metalhed77 asks: "I have a ton of bank statements I need to dispose of and am wondering what I should do with them. Googling for solutions I just find banks advising me to tear them up, which seems like more an inconvenience to a thief than a real preventative measure. What do Slashdot readers do with their sensitive documents? With so much data theft occurring in today's society, what else do you all do to protect your personal data?"
Buy an inexpensive crosscut shredder
Dreamers, shapers, singers, makers... Elric, the Techno-Mage
Burn the papers. Keep a pile of them, and once every few months, toss them on a fire. It's the only solution for the paranoid.
You have more to worry from electronic theft than you do from somebody digging through your trash, though. Your SSN and everything else are on file with your credit card companies, banks, etc., and all too often they get cracked. Not a whole lot you can do there, other than avoiding business with them altogether.
Depends where you live, but sometimes you can use a chimney or BBQ (well, dunno about a BBQ.) I wouldn't recommend burning a big pile of paper. If you have a Chimenea you can burn it there. (I don't mean your actual chimney, but that could be an option for small amounts.) Anyway, fire would probably be the best place, BUT you need keep an eye on it. Don't just walk away! -P
1. fine, cross-cut shredder from your local office supply store
2. burn them (in outdoor grill, indoor fireplace)
3. eat them (not advisable, thought the fiber is probably useful)
I have the same situation -- about 10 years worth of statements. Waaay too long these were kept. It's asking for trouble if the house is ever broken into.
Buy a cross-cut shredder. As mentioned by someone else, if you're too cheap for that, fire will work as well.
The one thing that people don't necessarily think of is checking their mail in the first place -- I know an older couple whose mail kept getting stolen, and the thief was using the information contained in the mail to do all kinds of things in their names.
If at all possible, ask the companies sending you bills and statements whether there's a paperless option -- I've heard that many companies are now providing statements online with the option to stop mailing you a physical copy. Someone can't steal what isn't produced in the first place.
Somebody get that guy an ambulance!
Some banks will help you, for example letting you use their cross-shredder or document-disposal bins.
Make some mulch. Shredding them would work too. After shredding them just spread them across your garden and spray it down with a sprinkler, or turn them in your compost pile. This is also a great way to dispose of cardboard boxes after a big move.
A good worm farm can take care of a NYT subscription pretty easily.
Direct away from face when opening.
hankaholic asks, "I have a ton of nails I'd like to pound into a board for a project I've got going. Googling for solutions I just find hardware stores advising me to hit them with a sturdy object, which seems like more an way to damage a blunt object than a real nail-driving measure. What do Slashdot readers do with their nails? With so many construction techniques in today's society, what else do you all use to get those nail-based projects off of the drawing board?"
Somebody get that guy an ambulance!
Get a cross-cut/confetti cut shredder and then mix the shredded paper well. Then split the shreds into two or more groups and throw in trash in different locations or on different days.
As has already been stated ad-nauseum, cross-cut shredding it the easiest option.
If you are REALLY paranoid, burning can be better, but even burning does not completely detroy a document. Skilled forensics teams can take charred pieces of documents and add chemical agents that keep them from further disintigrating. If you absolutely must completely destroy a document, burn it and then put the ashes into a bin with a bit of water and mix it until you are left with a gritty paste. Good luck putting THAT back together!
Shades of Grayden
Use the cross cut shredder as mentioned - and then donate the shredded remains to an animal shelter or a hog farmer to use as animal bedding.
A fine is a tax you pay for doing wrong and a tax is a fine you pay for doing all right.
Look in your phone book or other directory of choice for a local shredding service. In the Twin Cities (MN) one of the services (I can't remember which, maybe Shred-It) will occasionally send a truck around to do free shredding. They park it someplace, you give then your documents and watch it go into the super-shredder in the truck. Otherwise I'm sure for a box or two of paper they won't charge very much to do the shredding.
Personally I just have a nice fine cross-cut shredder (about $100) and occasionally have a shredding day and shred tons of stuff. May take an hour or two but it is kind of fun to shred away the parts of your life that have gone by.
Both of my banks also allow PDF delivery of their statements, and have for a few years. I stopped getting paper statements then.
Time is the quality of nature that keeps events from happening all at once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working. -Anon
At least this Ask Slashdot could be summarized as "I used Google and couldn't understand the results." rather than "What's a Google?"
To be fair to the submitter, though, I understand the concern that hand-torn paper is easy to piece together - that's why I blew $20 on a cross-cut shredder.
I think you are being excessively paranoid about identity theft via stolen bank statements, stolen mail, etc. And, should this happen, this type of outright theft is very obvious and is thus the easiest to resolve. However, most identity theft happens when somebody who already knows you (ie, family, close friends) uses the information that they already have about you to open accounts in your name. This is the kind you should really watch out for, both because it is so common and since it is nearly impossible to clear up.
First, shred the documents, preferably with a cross-cut or confetti-cut shredder. Second, secure the shredded documents in a burn bag and ignite. If you don't have a burn bag, construct a wire mesh container (with small holes, but sufficient gauge to not melt) to keep the burning bits of paper from floating away. Liberally spray with lighter fluid and place over an open fire.
Optionally, "wash" the shredded documents in a spin washer before burning. Ensure that the basin can be thoroughly cleaned out and that no scrap of document can be lost by draining.
Here come da fudge!
To something outrageous like Napoleon Bonaparte. Then anyone stealing your ID will be considered a loon.
Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
To the credit world I am a low wage earner. I put down Barrista on my tax return. My corporation handles my money. If you look like a small fry the id thieves leave you alone. What use is it to steal the identity of the guy who hands out catsup at Micky D's?
Now, consider what's on your bank statement. Can the thief learn enough just by looking at your statements to pose at you? Obviously not. He can certainly use the statments to find out things you'd rather people not know. (Which is why it bothers some people that federal officials can browse online bank statements without a warrant.) And with a bit of work, he can use bank statements and other sources to assemble enough information about you to pose as you. Any inconvenience you add to the process, no matter how trivial, makes you slightly less vulnerable. The question is, how much effort should you expend to add inconvenience? To answer that, you have to consider just how much you have to protect.
I have to admit that I throw my bank statements in the trash without even tearing them up -- I have such a bad credit rating no sane person would want to steal my identity. If I were slightly better off, I would tear the statements up. If I were a lot better off, I'd buy a good shredder. And if I were really rolling in cash, I'd hire a document disposal service to convert my paper records to pulp before disposal.
But all of these measures can be circumvented. Shredded documents can be reassembled with enough patience and computer time. Sidney Bristow can use her feminine wiles to infiltrate your disposal service. You can't absolutely guarantee that nobody will steal your private records -- you can only make it not worth their while.
...aside from having "undesirable" credit ratings for identity theft, what the hell can you actually do to protect yourself? If all it takes is DOB, SSN, and Mother's Maiden Name-- maybe a current address as well, is there any way to protect yourself from other people and companies' incompetence?
It just seems so easy to do through absolutely no fault of your own; who should be held responsible for the problem?!
Don't listen to the people who advise shredding. They own stock in companies that mould the cases for the most popular shredders. The vast majority of identity thieves are NOT rooting through your garbage.
... it was less than a month after I moved in that I was receiving junk mail at "335 Rosemary Lane Apt K"?
When I moved to my current address, I noticed an idiosyncracy with my proper address. The proper address is "335K Rosemary Lane". So, to run a security audit, I gave my banks and my insurance company the address of "335 Rosemary Lane Apt K". I use my proper address "335K" for most everything else, including online purchases, my driver's license, and my tax return. Anyone who obtains my address through legitimate (postal or state) means should be sending it to "335K". If it is the online merchants giving out my data then the junk will come to "335K".
Wouldn't you know
Who do you think the real identity thieves are?
It's the very banks and insurance companies who hold up their privacy agreements high for everyone to see.
fast as fast can be. you'll never catch me.
- get yourself a fireplace. Anybody who can reconstruct your papers after that is going to get you anyhow.
1) Buy a cheap charcoal grill, charcoal, beer, and hamburger.
2) Put charcoal in grill.
3) Light the charcoal.
4) Make hamburgers.
5) When hamburgers are done, throw documents on grill.
6) Eat burgers, drink beer, and watch them burn.
7) Soak & stir the ashes if you're really paranoid.
I have a girlfriend whose name doesn't end in
A lot of people have suggested going to buy one of the cross-cut shredders. Another option is to simply take your bank statements to a bank (preferably a branch of your own), and ask them to shred it for ya. I'd think, if someone managed to piece together the discards of a bank, my bank statements would be the last thing they'd care to look at (unless, of course, your bank account is about 3 figures longer than mine).
I've done this with smaller stacks of paper beforem, usually just a few pages, and most of them don't mind to do it. I'd be pretty annoyed if my bank refused to shred them for me....
Many companies are now using secure disposal services that assure that the shredded documents are recycled into oblivion without any thief being able to get to them. If you talk it up right, your boss or your bank might think this is a great perk they could offer you (no cost to them but an obviously valuable service to you).
"355 ROSEMARY LN APT K" is proper form for that address according to the United States Postal Service. If I were you, I'd be more concerned about the USPS stealing your identity. =^^= HTH.
This sig no verb.
take them to your bank, they'll gladly dispose of them, they shred tons everyday
alternatively, use the yellow pages to find a local service or simply buy a shredder
surely there must be better submissions? no, well maybe more people would submit more, if there was more of a point
Words to men, as air to birds.
Cross cut is considered to be impossible to reassemble. If they're really that dedicated to get you on this one, they have too much spare time. Downside is that air won't get between the chaff and as such it only makes good tinder by the handful, so full bags aren't *really* suitable for incineration if you want to completely obliterate it.
Incineration is of course total, but you need to tend the fire. Remember how we learned as kids that fire requires oxygen to work? That's right, a one ream stack of paper, if neatly stacked, won't incinerate - you have to aerate the stack, so for this vert cut works wonderfully as it forces the chaff to have air pockets. You also have to make sure the charred paper disintegrates as well - as explained above, if you simply light a piece of paper on fire, you can recover the data if it's intact - but not if it's broken up. (This was even demonstrated on an episode of MacGuyver, of all things.)
An aside: one thing I recently did to some paper I needed destroyed was take it to a fire ring at a nearby beach and ignited it, and tended to the mix while it burned. The advantage here is that a prevailing wind also blew fragments of the cremains away from the ring, thus further separating it.
The whole point here is that if you destroy it, you need to be unable to recover the data. Separating the pieces (as explained in yet another comment) is an excellent way to do this, and the farther separated, the better.
Don't worry about detecting the camera, just destroy its ability to work.
Start with newspapers (or better yet create some papers that look real, but really have fake data you WANT them to read) and a few logs.
Start your fire normally.
Once the logs are burning use a fan/bellows to crank up the heat.
Do this for some time, long enough to melt any cameras directly in the chimney.
Suddenly close the doors and damper. The heat of the former fire will keep smoke for a long time, this will build up soot in the chimney.
After some time re-build the fire, but just a small one.
Stir the shredded versions of your documents.
Slowly put the confetti in the fire.
Let the fire go out and everything cool. Keep watching.
Stir the ashes.
The small fire is important. A large fire will create enough of a draft to drive some of the paper up the chimney and out.
When you tell someone you want to put your sensitive stuff in their shredder sell it as a perk for them. Anyone who goes after there sensitive information is unlikely to care about your. Time and effort will be wasted reconstructing your documents that are not wanted.
That's why I shred all my junk mail, not just that which is sensitive.
If it's "sharing" rather than "theft" on kazaa, then it's "identity sharing" rather than "identity theft" as well...
How do I start my car? The dealership gave me these things they called "keys" and told me to insert them in the steering column and twist.
I don't know though. What should I do?
I fold into an airplane and throw it out the window.
Just but the bank statements in your sink or fireplace, burn them, crumple up the ashes and rinse them down the drain (or toilet).
MOUNT TAPE U1439 ON B3, NO RING
DISCLAIMER: These guys are a client of mine.
http://www.shipnshred.com/ is quite cost effective if you get up to about 30 lbs of material. Depending on your volume, this could be the best solution.
yeah. way for me to proofread
A while ago, I ran into this blog story about preventing identity theft... The "call up the credit bureaus and file a social security # fraud alert" tip is probably the best.
[o]_O
1) Feed all documents through a cross cut shredder, collecting the chaff into a garbage bag.
2) Take garbage bag to isolated corner of airfield.
3) Soak contents of garbage bag in jet fuel.
4) Set light to bag contents and report to commanding officer that task is complete.
If you don't have some jet fuel handy then a gallon of gas works just fine.
Ed Almos
Budapest, Hungary
The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws. - Tacitus, 56-120 A.D.
I can't find the URL but you can easily find it by googling. You scan your statements and email them the resulting files in whatever format you like. This site sheds the files into pieces no bigger than 3 or 4 bits each. it's really cheap and no thief without his own beawolf cluster will have a chance of reconstructing your data. good luck...
As the parent poster pointed out, there is no perfect defense. But we all know that the best defense is a good offense--you need to beat these creeps at their own game.
Do you remember the story about the woman who had her purse snatched twice in the same train station, so she started carrying about a purse filled with dog poop? It only got stolen one more time. The thief learned quickly! And I say, that's the way to do it!
Strke first! Strike hard! Trash your own credit to the point that anybody that claims to be you is pretty much guarenteed to have all their stuff taken from them within a week. The only way to stop identity theft is to make it so painful for the thief that they can't take it any more and cry uncle (note: if you think about it this also explains what's been going on in the movie/music industries lately).
--MarkusQ
Dude, ever hear of Google?
Apparently not.
Anyway, get a good cross-cut shredder. Shred everything. Break the shredded stuff up into two or more trash bags, and put food waste in there as well-- the greater stink potential that food waste has, the better. People will be less motivated to dig through it if it smells nasty.
Only thing someone would get if they stole my identity are calls from collection agencies.
Then file for bankruptcy. Commit a few crimes, like murder, treason, etc. You should be set after that.
My Mom stopped breast feeding me last week. I'm getting this strange sensation in my torso, and I have been feeling faint and weak. My throat is parched as well. I'm afraid I might die. What do you recommend I do?
If you get an email saying it's from ebay, and it sends you to a page asking you to enter in you social security number, credit card number, mother's maiden name, birthday, driver's license number, and bank account number, don't do it. I've already gotten 4 of those this week. It's hilarious. If anyone is dumb enough to fill out their lengthy form asking for their entire life story with all the important numbers, passwords, names, dates, and addresses, they deserve whatever happens.
While plenty of people are suggesting shredding, why not just file your bank statements, phone bills and so on? They're important if you ever have a billing dispute, need to prove expenditure to your boss / the tax man, and keeping them in a ring binder or two means you don't have to worry about securely disposing of them.
The other option, as someone pointed out, is to "go paperless" -- some banks and utility companies in the UK give you a discount for opting for an "internet only" account where everything is managed through their web site, and they post you nothing. Again in the UK, we have the Data Protection Act which mandates that organizations storing personal data must supply individuals with copies of all such data relating to them for a maximum fee of £10. My previous bank sent me two reams of printouts when I asked them to a few years back (because I'd not kept records myself and had some tax issues to deal with). But it's a useful tool to ensure you don't have to keep your own records if you don't want to.
Personally I'd advocate keeping your statements, but the DPA is very useful if you need it.
Matthew @ Bytemark Hosting
1) outsource your worry to me, just send me your SS# and I will handle the rest.
2) Wait for Whitey Bulger's autobiography; "How I avoided the FBI for 10 years and lived large in the process" ( Please note: Publishers would like to send him his advance but we just can't seem to find him.. Anyone have his email?)
Whitey hasn't had his identiy stolen (or found) in the last 10 years and the "best" computer minds have been after him!
One of the worst problems regarding this isssue, in the US at least, is that for-profit companies gather credit info about you and then force you to pay them (most states I believe). It's very expensive and time consuming to make sure the agencies haven't fscked up or detect that someone is quietly using your identity.
~
~
.. and see how many you can fill in. Soon enough their 'information' systems will be clogged with mud. Muhahahhaa
You have a sick, twisted mind. Please subscribe me to your newsletter.
...or feed your pet termites.
btw, this is a stupid waste of time. GET A SHREDDER YOU STUPID FUCK
Burn 'em Burn 'em All!!! muhahaha Then put the ashes in your garden.
Option #1: Keep them filed for future reference. Of course this requires space, and they could be stolen.
Option #2: Tear Them Up. Simple... but easiest for a thief to put back together. Use multiple trash cans/bags/days.
Option #3: Paper Shredder. A cheap paper shredder can help do the job... obviously, if a criminal has time they can put the stuff back together with a lot of work. But shredding it will make many thieves not bother. Also may want to use multiple trash cans/bags/days. A cross-cut shredder, while more expensive, works better.
Option #4: Burning... try to totally burn these things up. If the FBI (or some other agency) is going to bother to try to recreate the papers, then identity theft is the least of your problems.
Option #5: Just throw them out. Not reccomended.
What to do if you Boss is a "victim" Identity Theft
Or a do it you self guide from your friendly BOFHWe live in an information-oriented society. Technology allows us to do business and make transactions literally in a matter of seconds. This abundance of information has given rise to a new crime -identity theft. In fact, according to a 2003 release from the Federal Trade Commission, approximately 27 million Americans have fallen prey to identity thieves since 1999. Each year that number climbs higher and higher. In 2003 alone, almost 10 million people in the United States reported being victimized by identity bandits. So what does that mean? Someone has stolen your credit card - your credit card company can help you with that, right? Well, according to the FTC, almost 60% of identity theft issues don't pertain to your existing credit card accounts. Identity theft can occur as a result of new lines of credit being opened in your name either through credit cards or bank loans, as well as phone/utility fraud and even employment related fraud. Because we are susceptible through so many avenues in our daily life, we are all at risk. What can you do? Where would you turn if you found yourself in this situation? Would you know where to start to clear your name? Well, now you don't have to worry about what to do as we have the answer. As you already know, Pre-Paid Legal Services®, Inc. is a pioneer of the legal services industry. With more than 30 years of experience in providing legal rights protection to our members, we have now teamed with Kroll Inc., the world's largest risk consulting company. For more than 30 years, Kroll has helped companies, government agencies and individuals reduce their exposure to risk and capitalize on business opportunities. Kroll is an operating unit of Marsh Inc., the risk and insurance services subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., the global professional services firm. With offices in more than 60 cities in the United States and abroad, Kroll can operate and restructure businesses; scrutinize accounting practices and financial documents; gather and filter electronic evidence for attorneys; recover lost or damaged data from computers and servers; conduct in-depth investigations; screen domestic and foreign-born job candidates; protect individuals, and enhance security systems and procedures. Over the last three years, Kroll has developed a unique solution for victims of identity theft. This new service is now available to Pre-Paid Legal members through the IDENTITY THEFT SHIELD benefit. What does this benefit provide our members? The Identity Theft Shield gives you easy access to the resources you need to understand your credit ratings and to fight back if an identity thief threatens your financial standing. This benefit is designed to alert you to suspicious account activity, and to restore any resulting damage to your credit history. 1. Credit Report Through Experian 2. Continuous Credit Monitoring Through Experian 3. Fraud RESTORATION Service Reports on identity theft are everywhere - television, newspapers, magazines, talk shows, etc. Now that you know this benefit is available, doesn't it make sense to have this sort of coverage? Imagine the peace of mind you would have knowing you and your spouse would have access to all of these services if you found yourself to be an identity theft statistic? Contact, Jason & Maggie Webb, Independent Associates, to sign up for your Identity Theft membership by calling 909.429.8256 or visit their website at www.prepaidlegal.com/go/magdalynwebb. Don't wait until it is too late - do it today! For a full list of disclosures and exclusions, please consult the Identity Theft Shield written material provided by Pre-Paid Legal. www.prepaidlegal.com Jason & Maggie Webb Independent Associates Pre-Paid Legal www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/magdalynwebb magdalynwebb@prepaidlegal.com
Eat them.
Get the shredder - it's been said.
Now, you have it. You won't use it. Not yet.
Take the bigass stack of paper you need to shred, and set it down next to the shredder.
Now sit down at your computer and start organizing a bunch of data to backup. You've been meaning to - don't lie. Get a few DVDs worth of data going.
cyn, free software and *nix operating systems enthusiast.
Get the shredder - it's been said.
Now, you have it. You won't use it. Not yet.
Take the bigass stack of paper you need to shred, and set it down next to the shredder.
Now sit down at your computer and start organizing a bunch of data to backup/archive. You've been meaning to - don't lie. Get a few DVDs worth of data prepped.
Organize the DVDs to be burned, get it so you can churn out one after another without effort.
Now - open up a nice playlist, or drag a TV over, etc.
Start entertainment, start first DVD, start shredding - slowly. That cheap shredder you bought with a 5 sheet capacity can shred about 3, and you want it to finish spinning and cool a bit or the crap electric motor will burn out.
1-5 hours later, depending on shredding and data backup/archival volumes - you're done. Now you can shred things as they come in and feel good about it.
cyn, free software and *nix operating systems enthusiast.
Get a gabage can. Metal is best, or a large metal bucket.
Put your papers in the can. Don't fill it more than 1/2 way.
Soak the papers in gasoline.
Pour in a pound or two of LOX.
Toss in a match, from a distance of many feet.
Your secret papers are instantly made unreadable, along with your eyebrows!