Torn-up Credit Card Apps Not So Safe

Maximum Prophet writes "This dude tears up a credit card application, tapes it back together, sends it in with his cell phone number and father's address, and voila, gets a credit card. Who would have thought security at a credit card company was so lax? The company recommends that consumers "tear up" financial solicitations before throwing them away, "so thieves can't use them to assume your identity.", but according to them, "Applications that arrive in damaged form are customarily transferred to an electronic format, he said -- often by machine. So it's possible a human being never handled the taped-up application and never had the chance to spot the obvious sign of trouble." In this era where we worry so much about identity theft, this sort of thing really makes you wonder what the point really is.

But He Sent it In

[A Commentor]

Where the problem??? Obviously, the credit company has some really advanced process that allowed them to determine that he actually sent it in (maybe they check the fingerprints on the tape, who knows)..

If a real criminal would have attempted to tape it togather and send it in, the company would definitely not accept it...

And for the humor impaired ;-)

A Simple Way To Prevent This!

[daknapp]

they'll accept any application as long as the name and social security number match their lookups, and your FICO score is reasonably high

There's a foolproof way to keep this kind of identity theft from happening to you: just make sure your FICO score is really, really low!

That way, nobody will be able to get credit in your name. And, as a bonus, it's really easy to do!

Re:shred shred shred

[nizo]

I solved this problem by having credit that is so bad, people literally laugh at me when I apply for a card. The weird part is I still get these offers in the mail; I still think it is a ploy by the credit card companies to give their employees a good laugh now and then.

wimp

[JeanBaptiste]

I shred it, then I set it on fire. I then take the ashes and compress them into a diamond-like form. Then I smash it apart, and put the crystal shards inside the event horizon of a black hole, beyond which no information about the black hole's interior can escape to the outer universe. [uiuc.edu]

its the only way to be completely sure.

Re:Meanwhile...

[Siffy]

It's that damn 3M company and their transparent tape at it again!

Re:wimp

[Luyseyal]

If you read Fark [fark.com] you'd know that "nearly all of the information that falls into a black hole escapes back out [newscientistspace.com]"...

-l

p.s., ... "a controversial new study argues". ;)

Re:Shredder anyone?

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't forget the credit apps as well.

Re:Possible? Yeah, but highly improbable

[Brewskibrew]

Maybe the opening and scanning got outsourced to India?

Re:wimp

[MyLongNickName]

Wasteful. I work for the department of defense. I just claim the documents are part of the war on terror. They get marked classified, and no one sees them for 25 years.

Re:Solution!

[NecrosisLabs]

I go even further... We have a shredder, and I empty it once a week into the bag with the used cat litter. If someone wants to spend the effort to reassemble my finacial statements after digging through that mess, well, they've just about earned it.

Re:shred shred shred

[Topherbyte]

Interesting that this topic should be up today .... I have recently found the perfect use for my collection of nearly-worthless and annoying pennies. Shred the application (cross-cut of course!) but by all means KEEP the business reply envelope and the nicely folded piece of paper that describes the offer. That offer letter is always physically wider than the business reply envelope, so you will have to cut it shorter by an inch or so (width-wise) to get it to fit. It's too bad I don't have a pic up on my web server for illustrative purposes, because I have found a particularly good use for this piece of paper:

On each folded section use shipping tape to affix 3 rows of 6 or 7 pennies each, for a total of 18-21 pennies per fold. Et voila! A most fitting reply to unsolicited tree-destruction that will lessen your load of annoying pennies and cost them at least $1.80 to receive. The last little gem I sent weighed so much it cost them $2.07 in postage.

and that... is what you get WHEN YOU MESS WITH THE MAL-LIN TEMPLE.

Z-FIRE!

Re:wimp

[Luyseyal]

You mean where they'll be examined by "top men"?
-l

Re:Possible? Yeah, but highly improbable

[Fulcrum of Evil]

So if you want to put a (albeit small) dent in the productivity of the Evil Credit Card Sharks, send back those handy self addressed envelopes stuffed with their own junk mail. Be sure to fold, spindle, and mutilate the envelope, too. :)

Nah, just send back the application (blank) with a thin layer of jelly.

Re:Possible? Yeah, but highly improbable

[StikyPad]

Forgot to mention the solution I did end up using for a particularly determined bank which kept sending me high interest "pre-approved" credit card applications:

I made my own checkbox next to the "YES! Sign me up." that said "No thanks," and checked it. Naturally, I put it in the business reply envelope, along with a dollar or two in pennies (to be used toward the processing fee of course), and sent it on its way.

They never sent me another application.

OMG!

[LiberalApplication]

Nah, just send back the application (blank) with a thin layer of jelly.

OMG! That's not jelly! EEEEEEWWWWWW!

Re:Pre-approved applications

[StikyPad]

Actually, the phone number is 212-555-7382. Don't be put off when someone answers with "Hello?" Just ask for Dave, and he'll take your information.

Just saying.. don't take anyone's word for a phone number, especially on an internet forum. Look it up yourself, using www.google.com.a8tisdu4.net or www.yahoo.com@afd9s8yh9ye498hf9s8h4f98j209j4f0jh86 58h42h.hahaigotyou.net.

Re:shred shred shred

[bnenning]

Several years ago when I had no credit record I applied for a Discover card. On the same day a few weeks later, I received two pieces of mail: a rejection of my application due to insufficient history, and a offer to sign up for a Discover card.

Re:shred shred shred

[Carnildo]

Forget pennies and other lightweight stuff. The best solution:
1) Carefully steam the postage-paid envelope open at the seams.
2) Find a suitable-sized brick or brick fragment.
3) Wrap the envelope around the brick, in such a way that the postage-paid note and the address are on the same face.
4) Glue the envelope back together.
5) Mail it.
6) ???
7) Less profit!

Shred AND mail

[jridley]

Shred the application, but if it came with a postage-paid return envelope, take all the rest of the crap in there, and fold up the outer envelope as well, and maybe some sawdust and dust bunnies, and mail it back to them so they have to pay the postage. Make sure you shred the bit that had your name and address on it or they might give you a credit card anyway.

Something to do while watching movies.