Residents reminded of recycling risks by police
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 14:05:37
This month, Warwickshire Police has issued a reminder to people who love to recycle household waste and electronic items, that it is important to shred any important documents and delete private data before parting ways with unwanted items, according to the Coventry Telegraph.
Identity theft is an issue which existed long before recycling was commonplace. But now that people tend to separate out recyclable materials, such as old paper bills and other correspondence which might contain sensitive information, it is sensible to take action to stop criminals from compromising these details just by rummaging through your bins.
The same problem is faced by people looking to recycle their old mobile phones, as the integrated storage space offered by modern mobiles can contain all sorts of personal information, which would be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands and might lead to consumers being defrauded.
Most reputable mobile phone recycling companies will carry out a thorough check of the devices they receive, to make sure that personal customer information is deleted. But users are also advised to restore their handsets to factory settings before sending them off to be recycled, just to be on the safe side.
Police spokesperson, DCI Sean Paley, said that people need to do more to protect themselves from identity theft and fraud, especially as recycling rates are on the rise and more consumers are being exposed to this kind of crime by their eco-friendly activities.
Paley also talked about the benefits of utilising strong internet passwords, to prevent fraudsters from hacking into online accounts. And, in particular, it is important to sign out of any social media, shopping or other accounts to which you may be logged in via a smartphone before you send it to be recycled.
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