...but a recent report found that as much as 80% of last year’s identity theft information was collected through dumpster diving. The legality of dumpster diving gets a little tricky. If the dumpster is on private property – and you see someone diving in – they’re breaking the law. Once the garbage leaves the owner’s premises or is no longer concealed – it could be fair game.
Diving thieves are looking for other stuff too. State legislators in Connecticut have approved a Dumpster Diving Act to stop companies from digging through competitor’s trash for trade secrets. The bill has deemed dumpster diving as a high-tech crime against corporate espionage.
To protect your personal or professional information, be sure to separate and shred anything sensitive before tossing it out. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that companies holding your information, such as banks and subscriptions, aren’t tossing dive-worthy data into their own dumpsters.
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