[Dataloss] Hundreds' personal information found in dumpster

[Michael Hill, CITRMS]

http://www.komotv.com/news/local/14449977.html

SEATTLE -- One man went dumpster-diving and discovered a company he trusted trashed his personal information in a public dumpster where anyone could have snatched them up. 

Steve Gillett of Seattle said Visa Services Northwest threw out the sensitive documents instead of shredding them. 

The documents, which ended up in a downtown alley, included papers with Gillett's name, social security number, credit card information and even a copy of his signature. 

Gillett's private information, as well as those of hundreds of others, had been dumped by the travel services company. 

"This firm was throwing away in a public bin more information than my wife knows about me," Gillett said. 

Xiaoli Ding, the owner of the company, claims what Gillett found was the result of an isolated incident. 

He says he keeps his clients' personal information for year, then destroys the files properly. Then he shreds the sensitive documents and recycles the rest. 

"Obviously, we accidentally dumped that particular file in the recycle bin," he said. 

Even so, Ding said, the documents are safe in the bin since the business is located on an upper floor of the building where the public doesn't typically visit. 

But the trouble is, the papers don't stay there. 

Everything in that recycle bin on the upper floor eventually ends up in an alley way nearby; it's brought to another dumpster in a very public place. 






Michael Hill 
Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist
IDT Consultants
404-216-3751


"If You Think You're Not At Risk, Think Again!"
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