| Dumpster diving simply refers to the filtering of trash | | | | existing accounts but he will also use your personal |
| to discover things that were already disposed by | | | | information to open new financial accounts and new |
| their owners but may be valuable to other people. Its | | | | loans. |
| advantage to other people is not considered a | | | | In the occasion that you found out that your identity |
| benefit though, if it all leads to the exploitation of the | | | | has been stolen, devastating damages have already |
| trash owner's identity. | | | | been done and you will have to face cleaning up the |
| Though dumpster diving can be legal especially if not | | | | resulting consequences as you are held accountable |
| specifically forbidden by the law, this process of | | | | for the incident. |
| sifting other people's junk have its setbacks. For | | | | Identity protection |
| example, it is particularly considered illegal for people | | | | It is indeed frustrating to discover that your trash |
| to trespass to private premises just to go through | | | | was the only reason why your identity has been |
| the owner's garbage. Dumpster divers may eventually | | | | stolen. So you need to take steps to spare your self |
| be sued by property owners. | | | | from such tragic crime. |
| However, dumpster diving is deemed legal if you | | | | Before you throw paper scraps to your garbage can, |
| throw your trash on your street or on public | | | | you should make sure to shred or alter these |
| dumpsters such as those seen in commercial | | | | documents as much as possible. You must use a |
| establishments. | | | | cross-cut shredder instead of a straight-cut shredder, |
| Opportunities seen by identity thieves | | | | which may still allow criminals to put the altered |
| Although you might think that delving into other | | | | papers together just like a puzzle. With cross-cut |
| people's rubbish is filthy, not to the eyes of identity | | | | shredders, your paper will be cut both length-wise |
| thieves. Probing your trash is one thing they are | | | | and cross-wise, making it even harder for identity |
| willing to do just to gain more money. How much | | | | thieves to put it all back together. |
| money are we talking about? A hefty $31,000 million | | | | Due to the legality of public dumpster diving, this |
| is the average profit of an identity thief from a single | | | | process has been utilized by some identity thieves to |
| victim each year. It really depends on the status of | | | | gain pertinent personal information about their |
| the victim though; many may even worth much | | | | potential victims. The only prevention you could do is |
| more. Now who would not want to claw other | | | | to alter your documents to the point that an identity |
| people's junk if we are talking about such immense | | | | thief will not be able to recognize its parts. After all, it |
| amount of money? | | | | is always better to prevent such destructive crime |
| All an identity thief does next is to segregate useful | | | | before it happens. It is a safe way of thinking that |
| items that contain valuable personal information from | | | | your trash can determine your safety and financial |
| everything else. As he finds handy information, he will | | | | security. |
| not only use it to gain the money you have in your | | | | |