Identity Theft with Stolen Information from Bin Bags

Identity theft criminals sift through rubbish to find personal information and letters/old bills that can be used to help authenticate a fake identity.  Sadly, even in these days of recycling, most of us have no idea where are recycled rubbish ends up.

Be careful with old till-roll receipts.  Whilst only 4 digits of your card are displayed, different retailers don’t always display the same 4 digits on their receipts.  A careful thief may be able to reconstruct your card number by inspecting these.

44% of UK residents DON'T SHRED documents containing sensitive information before putting it in the bin.  79% of household waste contains at least one item that could assist fraudsters in stealing your identity. 

Bin Bag Theft Advice

• Shred all confidential letters and statements before putting them in the recycling bin.  Use a cross-cut shredder rather than a straight cut – it’s harder to reconstruct the document
• Alternatively, if no shredder is available tear up your documents and place the pieces in different bins, or burn them – you can even use your paper waste to make logs to burn on a fire