Dumpster Diving! What Is It? Is It Legal?

Dumpster diving has become a very favorite pastime for identity thieves.

The thief goes through garbage from a business, your home and garbage dumps looking for personal information.

The thief goes through garbage from a business, your home and garbage dumps looking for personal information.

Due to lax security, people rummaging through someone's garbage has become very common in the 1980's.

In the 1990's businesses became aware of this problem and the fact that increased security concerning sensitive documents needed to be put in place.

• The majority of businesses now shred all sensitive information before being placed in dumpsters.

See identity theft software for more on how to keep your computer and the personal information on it safe.

I have relatives that work in the health/pharmaceutical industry, and sensitive information is never put in a shredder and discarded into a dumpster.

The information is given to an outside company and the company shred's the sensitive information in their truck right on the business property.

• Other items that are professionally disposed of are computer hardware such as storage media, disc drives and top secret equipment etc.

If your company does not send out their sensitive information to an outside company, make sure the information is disposed of using a crosscut shredder.

• There are also crosscut shredders that are capable of handling CD's/DVD's and credit card disposal.

Dumpster Diving Extra Money

• Diving is most commonly done for economic reasons, or because an identity thief is after your personal information.

• Some people make their living by dumpster diving for aluminum cans, soda cans or bottles and other items that can be recycled.

• Other items, such as lead, copper and other scrap metals are sold to recycling plants.

• One of my friends owns a construction company and has had his houses and businesses under construction "stripped" of their valuable metals such as copper, wiring, pipes, and brass fixtures, plus anything discarded in the dumpsters.

When scrap prices or unemployment rates soar, this kind of salvaging happens even more often and has been widely reported in the United States and other countries.

• Specific diving is more uncommon, but it does happen. "Watchdog" groups will also do this to get information on a business or non-profit organization.

• I'm sure you heard this was done a few years ago to investigate televangelists Benny Hinn and Robert Tilton. This investigation was reported by many TV and top news channels.

• Most of us think nothing of throwing away items that still have our personal information on them such as letters, credit cards, ID cards, photographs, expired driver's license etc.

• Many people throw away old files and many other items with private information, and don't stop to think of the problems this one small action can bring to you.

Tip To Keep Your Information Safe From Divers

How do you get rid of your items that have personal information on them?

• Ripping them up is not enough. The safest thing to do is shred with a crosscut shredder.

Diving has become extremely popular because the dumpster is a "gold mine" of information.

Years ago you didn't give a "second thought" to what you threw in the trash.

Today, you have to consider everything you throw out. You don't want an identity thief to have access to your personal information.

To learn what and how you throw items away, go to identity theft solutions.

Please remember to shred your information with a crosscut shredder before you throw it out.

• In some states going through garbage is illegal. In my area, if your garbage is in your home, of course it is safe; but once you put it out on the curb for pickup, it is fair game for anyone.

It is legal to go diving through someone's garbage once it leaves your property?

• If you live in an apartment or condo type setting, this is considered private property and dumpster diving is illegal until the garbage is off the property.

If you have any questions about the laws in your town, please contact your local police department and ask them about your dumpster diving laws.

As you can see, dumpster diving and your garbage, can cost you more than you ever though possible. Protect yourself and don't become a victim of this horrible identity theft crime.

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