Rubbish Bins A Treasure Trove For Id Thieves

Research released this month shows Australians are placing themselves at greater than ever risk of identity theft with two in every three households throwing out material of value to identity fraudsters.
 

The best bounty is being left out in our recycling bins so thieves don’t even need to get
their hands dirty to steal people’s identity.

An astonishing 84 per cent of recycling bins contained papers, credit cards and other
documents that are used by ID thieves in one of the country’s fastest growing crimes.
 

This first ever bin raiding research, undertaken as part of National Identity Fraud
Awareness Week (October 5 -11, 2009), analysed the contents of the equivalent of 180 domestic general rubbish bins and 237 recycling bins in a major metropolitan suburb.

The research uncovered some frightening findings. “Every time we put our bins out for
collection, most of us are not heeding the warnings and still putting ourselves at risk of identity theft,” said Darren Turner Business Development Manager, Fellowes New
Zealand.

“It is almost beyond belief what people throw out. We found an online banking card
and letter complete with account name, number, and access code as well as an
unsigned credit card.”

Just over half of all bins surveyed had documents that can be used in a 100 point ID
check including drivers licenses, Medicare and Centrelink cards, utility and banking bills.

With the third annual National Identity Fraud Awareness Week taking place from the 5 -11 October, police are urging the public to be vigilant about destroying personal
documents before throwing them in the bin.

Detailed biographical information taken from bank statements, utility bills and other
personal documents commonly found in household rubbish can be worth their weight in gold to identity thieves.

Mr Turner said that he was staggered by the bin raiding results and hoped it would make people think twice about how they dispose of their personal information.
 

"All it takes is a combination of a few key pieces such as your date of birth, address and bank account details or even your tax file number, to give someone the proof of identity they need to create new forms of ID, access your bank accounts, steal your tax refunds and rack up huge credit card bills, “said Mr Turner.

“To rectify the damage and reinstate your credit rating can take years and many
thousands of dollars, never mind all the stress and inconvenience, so it really pays to take a few minutes to shred your personal mail before it goes in the bin”.

About National ID Fraud Awareness Week
National Identity Fraud Awareness Week is an international campaign that aims to
educate consumers and businesses about the dangers of ID fraud and the preventative steps that can be taken. It takes place annually around the globe in Europe, Asia, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

In New Zealand, NIFAW is a Fellowes initiative with partners: Secure Identity (a Veda
Advantage Company) and Symantec.

Further information can be found online at www.stopIDtheft.co.nz