Identity Theft Prevention Tips? 126
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?"
Easy solution... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Easy solution... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Easy solution... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Easy solution... (Score:2)
You've never seen the diamond-shaped confetti created by a cross-cut shredder, have you?
If you're tin-foil paranoid, though, soak the confetti in water for a day or 2, then press it dry.
You'll have a huge, amorphous lump of pulp, undecipherable by no one.
Re:Easy solution... (Score:2)
Re:Easy solution... (Score:2)
Risk of burning bits of paper floating off in the wind, though.
If you are in an older, or northern building that has a boiler/burner down in the basement, throw the confetti in it.
Re:Easy solution... (Score:2)
No no, the GP forgot to mention stirring up the resulting pieces to eliminate locality of information in the trash.
Re:Easy solution... (Score:3, Funny)
I shred mine and add them to the used kitty litter.
I figure that if they go to effort at that point, they deserve anything they can get.
Re:Easy solution... (Score:2)
When I do have to shread papers that include bank statements, or enough info about a client that it could be dangerous to that client, I put the shredder over another bin and shred. When that 2nd bin fills up, I dump it in the fireplace, get a f
Re:Easy solution... (Score:1)
Re:Easy solution... (Score:1)
Burn 'Em (Score:3, Insightful)
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.
Re:Burn 'Em (Score:2)
Re:Burn 'Em (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Burn 'Em (Score:4, Funny)
No! Never burn your old papers. When paper is burned, the smoke emitted by the fire can be intercepted and the data recovered.
Come on, haven't you ever heard of smoke signals?
Re:Burn 'Em (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Burn 'Em (Score:2)
SOMEONE has been watching too much C.S.I. (Miami|New York).
S
Re:Burn 'Em (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Burn 'Em (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Burn 'Em (Score:2)
Don't worry about detection, just disable it (Score:3, Informative)
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
Re:Burn 'Em (Score:1)
LOL! Dust off and nuke the site...it's the only way to be sure.
Burn it... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Burn it... (Score:1)
easy one (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:easy one (Score:5, Funny)
Hmmmm. Your arguments are airtight. Unless of course one day someone figures out how to "break" "into" a "computer" and "steal" "data". But we've probably got a long wait ahead of us before that happens.
Re:easy one (Score:2)
And as a second side of the same problem, if anyone does achieve this particular magic trick (not that they could, of course ;-)) then lack of a proper paper record will conveniently mean that you have no obvious way of challenging it...
Re:easy one (Score:2)
And I really can't understand what browsing at -1 has to do with the First Amendment. That makes about as much sense as "Support the Second Amendment, eat pizza."
Easy one: strike first (Score:2)
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 th
Re:easy one (Score:1)
Re:easy one (Score:2)
The shredder is the first line of defense, and the paperless idea is good too (especially since all sorts of places actually CHARGE YOU for a paper copy anyway). But in regards to the mailbox thing, get a locking mailbox. Where I live the mailboxes are all in little groups that the post office setup and they lock so you can't walk up and steal people's mail. But even if you don't have that kind of setup, you should be able to get a locking mailbox (make sure it's post office approved). They
Re:easy one (Score:1)
That's the way to go. They've really come down in price. To get the best deal, check the weekly store ads today from Staples, OfficeMax, or Office Depot. The sales run Sunday to Saturday, so there might be one still on sale today. If not, then check tomorrow's ad. They have "get you in the store" sales on shredders all the time.
If you've never bought a shredder before, get a cheap crosscut. If you can afford a few dollars more, get a crosscut that handles more pages at a time a
Re:easy one (Score:1)
Have you asked you bank? (Score:3, Informative)
You, a bucket, some water, the papers... (Score:3, Informative)
A good worm farm can take care of a NYT subscription pretty easily.
Re:You, a bucket, some water, the papers... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:You, a bucket, some water, the papers... (Score:1)
Ewww, it tastes like grandma!
ask slashdot gets obvious (Score:5, Insightful)
We're moving in the right direction (Score:2)
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.
Re:We're moving in the right direction (Score:1)
Yes, but who hasn't heard of shredders? And for that matter, who doesn't know that fire destroys paper?
Re:We're moving in the right direction (Score:4, Funny)
No, my friend, you are thinking of scissors. Scissors destroy paper, paper covers rock and rock breaks scissors.
Differential disposal (Score:2)
Shredder and disposal (Score:2)
Re:Shredder and disposal (Score:2)
A more thorough solution (Score:2)
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 b
Re:A more thorough solution (Score:2)
Shred and Bed (Score:2)
Shredding Services & PDFs (Score:1)
Personally I just have a nice fine cross-cut shredder (about $100) and occasionall
Re:Shredding Services & PDFs (Score:2)
Gee, It's a good thing the internet is such a secure transmission medium.
Garbage sifters not (Score:2, Insightful)
Secure document destruction (Score:1)
Optionally, "wash" the shredded documents in a spin washer before burning. Ensure that the basin can be thoroughly cleaned out and th
Change Your Name (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Change Your Name (Score:1)
Re:Change Your Name (Score:1)
Inconvenience is underrated (Score:4, Interesting)
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.
Re:Inconvenience is underrated (Score:3, Informative)
I'd watch out for those online fake email from ebay or your bank. I have citibank, but I've never given them my email address. So getting email from citibank telling me to change my password is a phisher. Watch out for an increase in offeres for credit cards as well.
DON'T carry your social security card with you in your wallet unless you are going somewhere that you need to show it. If your wallet gets s
The bigger question... (Score:2)
It just seems so easy to do through absolutely no fault of your own; who should be held responsible for the problem?!
Re:The bigger question... (Score:1)
Don't be paranoid! (Score:2)
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, in
On the subject of mail.... (Score:2)
Re:On the subject of mail.... (Score:2)
Re:On the subject of mail.... (Score:2)
Re:On the subject of mail.... (Score:1)
Go harass someone else. Smugness isn't becoming, especially when you're spewing ignorance.
Re:Don't be paranoid! (Score:2)
Most likely the people who are screen-scraping slashdot for names and addresses,
Re:Don't be paranoid! (Score:2)
I've done the same thing. One of my credit cards sent me a credit card with the wrong name. (It's very close, though). Odd things I've noticed: 1) No one has ever noticed that it doesn't match my license. 2) If I get mail sent to that particular name, I can throw it away without opening it because I know it is junk mail (except for the credit card bill, of course).
Easy - (Score:2)
Simple. (Score:2)
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.
Just go to the bank (Score:2)
I've done this with smaller stacks of paper beforem, usually just a few pages, and most
shred and mix (Score:3, Informative)
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).
Sell as a perk for them (Score:2)
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.
sheesh ... the bank will dispose of them for you (Score:2)
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
Doublespeak on /. (Score:2, Funny)
Every paper I don't need anymore... (Score:1, Offtopic)
All you need is a bit of creativity! (Score:1)
zerg (Score:3, Informative)
Re:zerg (Score:1)
chl
Re:zerg (Score:1)
This was actually meant as a response to the common advice to *routinely* put a fraud alert on your credit stuff, so all credit applications in your name will get checked by a phone call to you, thus giving you a warning in the case of undetected identity theft.
chl
Re:zerg (Score:2)
The Military Option (Score:2)
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
obvious solution (Score:2, Funny)
One tip (Score:2)
Keep your bills! (Score:2)
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 everythin
Re:Keep your bills! (Score:2)
It sucks to have your house broken into.. its worse when weeks later the thief trashes your credit and uses your spare car keys to swipe the car from the driveway (which is easy since he has the title that was in the file cabinet).
Identity theft tips. (Score:1)
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!
Credit agencies make most precautions useless (Score:1)
What to do if you Boss is a "victim" Identity Thef (Score:1)
What to do if you Boss is a "victim" Identity Theft [dilbert.com]
Or a do it you self guide from your friendly BOFH [theregister.co.uk]ID Theft and RESTORATION (Score:1)
Complete s Solution (Score:2)
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.
Re:Complete s Solution (Score:2)
see:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=147842&ci
Complete solution (Score:2)
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 DV