Identity theft 101
How much information about someone can you find out, starting with a discarded boarding card stub and just surfing the internet for 15 minutes using only data available in publicly available databases?
- Address?
- Who you are living with?
- Passport number and expiry date?
- Where you studied?
- Date of birth?
- Nationality?
Well, all of those and while you’re about it, why not log into his frequent flyer account and change a few details and book a flight somewhere hot and sunny? Also no problem. In this particular case, you can thank British Airways and the American Government for their help, and the Guardian for highlighting the case.
So remember, think about what you throw away, and shred sensitive paperwork, such as bank statements, credit card slips etc. before you put them in the dustbin.