Is Shredding the Solution?

It might seem obvious, but protecting your outgoing trash is an important step in protecting your identity. If you have decent credit, chances are good that you will receive pre-approved credit offers weekly, if not daily. A determined dumpster diver may be rewarded quickly by rifling through a person's trash.

Does it take a criminal genius to find a garbage goldmine? Not really. Under the cover of darkness, a smart thief might target affluent looking homes and throw a few bags of trash into the back of their truck. Identity thieves enjoy a perfect storm of low risk and high potential payoff when stealing trash in this manner.

To prove how lucrative dumpster diving can be for thieves, one man reported his findings after a trash dive. According to the report, he "found a clear and easily-readable copy of a bank check with all of the important information: Bank account number and routing number and name of the account holder. The account holder's social security number and small business ID number were hand written in on the top right of the check." (ComputerWorld)

So, what can consumers do to protect themselves? Shredding is a good first step; not a flawless solution, but helpful for most people. Just drop your documents into a shredding machine and breathe a little easier. Unfortunately, a criminal who is skilled at profiling different victims may be able to isolate those who pose the highest potential for profit. For these vulnerable individuals, a patient thief could theoretically take the time to piece together paper shreds and recreate the original documents. For those who demand the highest security, cross-cut shredders make it nearly impossible for criminals to recreate original documents. Generally, these high-tech shredders turn paper into tiny confetti particles.