Identity Theft

Identity Theft

The threat of identity theft is a worrisome prospect for many people, especially those who are actively involved in the ever-evolving digital world. Though there are a few precautions that can be taken to avoid being made a victim of an identity thief, many of these efforts can ultimately be negated by irresponsible device disposal.

Unused hard drives that are dumped, shared, given away or otherwise not thoroughly destroyed through a data destruction process are susceptible to identity theft attacks. Those hard drives can be activated once more and mined for information if they are not properly dealt with.

If you are someone who takes part in even the bare minimum amount of activity on the internet, the devices you perform tasks on likely contain critical information that you would not want to share with a wide audience. In order to keep your passwords, financial information, Social Security number and more out of the wrong hands, consider using the electronic recycling and data destruction services provided by Newtech Recycling.

How to Avoid Identity Theft

It is worth noting the precautionary measures that can be taken to buck potential identity theft plots before you even consider moving on from an old device. Here are five steps that you may want to consider:

1. Secure your Social Security number. Refrain from exposing your number unless it is required in a lawful, secure setting.
2. Be careful with the amount of personal information you share. Don’t assume the best intentions if someone asks you for your birth date or log-in information.
3. Regularly check your bank records and credit card balances. Anything unusual in these accounts should be easily detectable to the account holder and reported if applicable.
4. Be creative with the passwords you use online. Try to come up with a unique password for each site that requires one and change things around if any suspicious activity appears to be afoot.
5. Destroy loose receipts or mail that is no longer useful. Any trace of personal information on paper documents creates an unnecessary trail that can be easily traced by an identity thief.

How Do Identity Thieves Work?

Before an identity thief actually cracks into a hard drive’s sensitive contents, the process in which one may find their hands on a hard drive in the first place can come by a multitude of methods. Seemingly harmless actions in the short-term, such as giving an old hard drive to a family member, can evolve into a big problem for you down the road.

The risk in giving your hard drive to a family member or trusted friend is that the chain of sharing does not necessarily with that first person. If you give your old hard drive to your sister, you may feel secure. But what about your sister’s college roommate? And your sister’s college roommate’s brother? 

This is just one scenario. Once your hard drive is out of your possession, so is, in essence, your digital footprint. Leaving something this sensitive in the hands of someone multiple degrees of separation from yourself is a potentially disastrous prospect.

If you suspect that you may be a victim of identity theft, be sure to contact the proper authorities immediately.

Avoid Identity Theft With the Help of Newtech Recycling

Hard drives can be tedious and physically dangerous to dismantle, so why not have this process carried out quickly and safely by the professionals? An e-waste recycling center like Newtech Recycling can help save you time by disposing of your old hard drives and other devices that might hold sensitive information.

Contact the Newtech Recycling team if you live in our service areas, and don’t hesitate to reach out for any other computer recycling services you may need. We are committed to helping you avoid identity theft and will happily dispose of any old devices you may be looking to move on from.