Submission + - Identity theft by second hand computers?
Vrtigo1 writes: "While reading this morning's Craigslist postings for my area, I noticed (as I do most every morning) that there are several PCs listed in the free category. Most of these are listed by computer illiterates who've purchased a new computer and no longer need the old one, or have recently had a child go off to college with a new laptop, leaving a desktop behind. The likelihood of personal data having been properly removed from these systems strikes me as extremely low. Saved banking, MySpace, e-mail, and other important passwords are probably easy to find on these systems, so I wondered why I haven't read much about people having their identities stolen this way. I'll admit, I've grabbed a computer or two that people have put out as garbage, and was shocked to see the amount of personal data still present. I'd imagine getting a system from a business' dumpster would be even more revealing. Has anyone you know ever had their identity stolen this way? What can be done to convince people to eliminate their private data before disposing of an old PC?"
