December 23, 2003

Throwing away business documents. Make sure you're not really giving them away.

My spin: I never really thought identify theft was a problem. However, I'm beginning to realize that there's many guys and gals out there who want a "quick buck" and will do anything to get it. One way, "dumpster diving" is going through trash, recycling bins are great, and taking any paper they can use to replicate your identify - financial, medical, school, etc records.

When you throw something away, shred it, and shred it well.

News Clip: NY Times: Stephen Massey was only a few minutes late, yet he apologized profusely as he strode into the lobby of a crowded restaurant in downtown Eugene, Ore. ''I'm very punctual about my time,'' he said, clasping my hand in a firm shake. With his freshly combed hair, crisp white shirt and trimmed mustache, he looked like an off-duty cop or fireman -- a ''pillar of the community,'' as he later described himself, a wolfish smile playing across his lips. Far from it: Massey, 39, directed one of the most extensive and notorious identity-theft rings prosecuted so far by federal authorities. By the time investigators broke the case, Massey and his partner in crime, a computer whiz named Kari Melton, had ruined hundreds of people's credit. A judge sentenced them to prison in 2000; Melton was released in 2001, Massey the next year. (full story)

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