Even Torn-Up Credit Card Applications Aren't Safe

[smb]

Even Torn-Up Credit Card Applications Aren't Safe

What if a desperate identity thief digging through your trash found a credit card application ripped into little pieces, taped it back together, filled it out and mailed it in? Would he get the credit card?

The answer, according to one man's experiment, is clearly yes....

[phantom power]

1. Makes you wonder if even a shredder will work.

It's hard for me to believe that credit companies don't have some -- oh I don't know -- policy of rejecting torn up applications. I mean... WTF???

[smb]

2. The Official Explanation

According to the story, the Chase rep claims that the application was processed automatically without being seen by a human being.

WTF? indeed....

[phantom power]

5. I happen to be a pattern-recognition guy, who works in OCR...

and I find it a bit hard to believe that any automatic image processing software would be able to handle that form, seeing what it looked like after he tore it up and taped it back together. Not impossible, but I can tell you that most automatic form processing is sensitive to the exact expectd locations of things, and you can see that things are shifted around, since the reconstruction job wasn't perfect.

My expert opinion is, that official story is a load of dooky.

[demosincebirth]

6. I'm sure they must need a SS # to process it

Wouldn't you think so?. Thats the first thing they ask me when ever I ever applied for any credit/card.


on edit: One of the gimmicks the cc companies use is that at times during the year they send you these blank checks so just in case you might want to spend a little more withoug leaving the house. Those, for sure, I have to shred or burn. I called them and told them not to send them anymore, but I still get them.

[LibinMo]

3. I have a shredder

but don't always use it. I will from now on.

Thanks for the link.

[liberal N proud]

4. Shred everything that has my name and an account number on it

Even the bills once they are payed.
I don't hang on to anything that could be used to get credit in my name.

The only thing they could do at this point is steal the applications from my mail box or in the mail system.

[SeattleVet]

8. We shred anything that has any usable information on it...

including names, account numbers, or addresses (yes, even those "delivery cards" that come with the bulk ads). Anything with an address gets shredded, even if the name on it is "Resident".
We just feel that it's better to do that than have someone come along and do some one-stop shopping through the recycling bins.

[sutz12]

11. Amen...

It's a pain, but I open them all and make sure any paper with my info, and especially the sheets with the authorization numbers and codes goes through the crosscut shredder.

It's not paranoia when they are really all out to get you.

[n2doc]

7. I guess the profits from getting peoplle to have more cards

are greater than the losses due to fraud. A few years back someone got a card in my name and ran off with 10K in cash withdrawls. When the company finally tracked me down, it was easy to prove that the person who had gotten the card had done so using an address that I had never been at and that the company had been scammed. Hard to believe the risk is worth it, but it must be. I have taken to shredding the card aps and disposing of them gradually. But they keep flooding in, like an endless paper tide.

[katty]

9. I burn mine

[Judi Lynn]

10. Thanks for the article. We all need that nudge to take the time

to shred.

I'm going to share this article, too. Very helpful.

[NMDemDist2]

12. opt out

http://www.p2pays.org/main/junk.asp