Keeping your personal information safeguarded

Bin raiding is common today. Prospective thieves are prowling through trash cans, garbage cans, dumpsters, and bins not only in the cities but in the countryside as well looking for personal information.

They can use even the most mundane of personal information to help them verify that they are you, even though, of course, you know they are not. Bin raiding is especially common in affluent areas, but it is increasingly common everywhere, with 75 percent of local authorities admitting that it happens regularly in their area.

With the support of the Nottingham City Council, local authorities analyzed the contents of hundreds of household trash bins to find out what people were throwing away. They discovered that 86 percent of domestic trash contained personal information that could be used by fraudsters. Three fourths of the bins contained the full name and address of at least one person from the household, while one fifth of bins contained a name, bank account number, and sort code.

Inside your home, try to keep your bills, receipts, birth certificate, insurance papers, bank documents, and other personal documents locked up; don’t keep important papers in an obvious place. If you can’t lock your documents up, put them somewhere out of the way.

Before disposing of old documents, destroy them. You would do well to consider investing in a paper shredder.

Identity thieves not only search trash bins to obtain personal information. Be wary of anyone asking you for your personal information. Ask them why they need it, and don’t be afraid to challenge them. Someone inquiring for legitimate reasons won’t mind you asking. Many of them they try to obtain this information in person, over the phone, or online by sending e-mails that look official. Personal computers often contain plenty of personal information that they can use. Keep this information in encrypted folders on your computer. Encryption scrambles the contents so that they cannot be read by anyone without a password. Check your operating system to see if you already have an encryption program you can use. If not, many software companies offer free downloads of encryption programs. You can also install a firewall on your computer to prevent hackers from accessing the personal information on your computer.

If you ever have reason to think you have become the victim of an identity thief, immediately report it to the police, local authorities, and relevant governmental departments.

Keeping Your Personal Information Safe