Identity Theft

[Dudley]

We are told not to throw even an envelope addressed to ourselves in the waste bin for fear of someone stealing our identity. If this really is the case why do the fraudsters bother? They can more easily look in the Phonebook or the Electoral Roll to get the very same information without resorting to raking through refuse. Am I missing something here or is it just scaremongering by the media? I am not sure if this is the right category but cannot see one that is more relevant.

[Ethel]

Dudley - you are right inasmuch as a name and address are not that important. As you say, that information can be garnered from the local library.

Everything else should be shredded or burned though. Utility bills can be used to prove address, for example.

I have a shredder and put all unwanted paperwork through it as a matter of course. Then it goes in the hamster cage as bedding. Or the composter.

It is not such a big thing to dispose of mail safely and effectively.

[beema]

Good point. However I think that ID thefts do a thing called profiling whereby they look at your mail over a period of time, a year even. They can tell alot about you by the type of junk mail you get as much of this has been targetted at you from loyalty cards and info sharing between businesses. They can get an idea of your work status, social economic profile (class) etc. Even things like a letter from a childs school will build up a profile. Somone got credit out in my husbands name at PC World. The first we knew about it was when confirmation of the agreement came to our house. When we contacted the police they said that all the fraudsters needed was a utility bill , official letter or bank statement to get out credit . I imagine they found a letter addressed to my husband from a solicitor or someone professional and used it as id.

[Dudley]

Thank you ladies for your prompt response. I appreciate all you have both said and it confirms my own thoughts that an unidentified envelope is reasonably harmless but appreciate that bills and letters should be cross shredded (which I always do anyway). I just could not see why a simple name and address would be a sufficient risk. One thing that irritates me is that credit card companies continually send me blank cheques with my name on them which I do not want and have to shred them for security reasons. Writing cheques on credit card accounts is a really expensive way of paying bills anyway.

[Ethel]

Dudley - I too get very frustrated by these credit card cheques - especially as I refuse to use them!

I have written to the companies stating I will not be responsible for any misuse of the cheques and asked them to stop sending them.

One of my credit cards has a credit limit of over �20000 - that is an awful lot of possible fraud.

I believe it is just irresponsible of the companies to send these cheques out.

[vehelpfulguy]

Be careful of letters asking you to get a credit card or a loan.

I sometimes get them where the blank form has already been partly filled in with my name and address.

One I had recently also had my date of birth on it.

I was so annoyed I wrote to the bank concerned and they said they would look in to it and may stop doing that.

[Ethel]

I had such a letter from the Halifax, offering me a credit card.

I scribbled all over it and sent it back with the words 'No MORE JUNK MAIL' in thick ink. I did not fill any details or sign it.

I was somewhat bemused to receive my credit card a week later.

[Everhelpful]

If that is the case,every time you write a cheque you are giving yourBank details away!!