Julio Fowler

With the credit crunch currently in full swing and not looking to improve anytime time soon, there is one emerging industry that seems to be continually in growth mode and that is the Identity fraud industry. If you haven’t quite realised it yet this is a serious concern around the world.

So how do you combat the risks of having your identity stolen? This is not just people copying your clothes and hairstyle, they want a quick and easy way to profit from your financial and business data, your NHS number, your Passport details, your bank account and savings information, even your pension plan.

Do you know how easy it is to get a copy of your own or somebody else’s birth certificate? TOO easy!!! Do you routinely shred your bank and credit card statements after processing them?

Well that’s just common sense isn’t it?, but do you also shred all the promotional bumf, special offer balance transfer rates, why not have one of our wonderful credit card pamphlets et al, all of which have your name and address printed on them?

You don’t care about that, you bank online, BIG DEAL you’re just as much at risk as someone who throws all the junk mail post in the bin if you are not protective of your online presence. For example do you use the same password for all your banking? Well yes, how many of us can remember all the passwords needed without breaking the terms and conditions of paragraph 8 subsection 5 which states “do not write down your password”.

Un-shredded paperwork and internet activity is not the only way an unscrupulous operator will get hold of your information though. With so much information being held on computer hard drives, pen drives and mobile phones sometimes these are areas of easy pickings for the Identity thief or even random opportunist.

Accessing data on a disposed of device or hard drive for example is for the experts far easier than you would imagine if the drive is in working order (and sometimes when its not). Beware not all data recovery companies have the same ethical standards or are actual data recovery labs at all and your old data can be raided in less than 5 minutes if you have not planned correctly and used a reputable business to recover your data for you .

Many people are unaware of the availability of hard drive shredding or secure data disposal services that reputable companies offer. Drives can be literally shredded into tiny pieces or if you are a firm believer in recycling you can arranged for your drive to be securely wiped and certified and the certain components can be used for repair or failed drive re-builds.

To find out more about secure data wiping and hard drive disposal call or speak to your local data recovery services company.

Tags: identity theft