How To Protect Yourself

Do You Throw Away Junk Mail Offers without Reading Them?

If so, you may live to regret it. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Identity thieves consciously look through garbage in the hopes of finding personal information or items, such as prescription bottles or old cell phones with data chips, which offer a key to your identity. This practice is so common there's even a name for it - "dumpster diving."

• Cross-cut or confetti shred all utility bills, old checks, financial statements, and preapproved credit applications before placing them in the trash.
• Destroy storage media, like CDs, DVDs, hard drives, or thumb drives, before you dispose of them. ID thieves love finding these, because most consumers don't even remember what's stored on them. Break CD and DVD discs, smash or demagnetize drives, and tear up any related license number documentation.
• Keep your garbage can in a protected area, so that it's harder to approach.