The New Jersey State Senate recently passed a bill making it a requirement that owners of digital copy machines wipe their hard drives before they transfer the machines to another owner. A lot of people don’t know that information that is stored on these machines – whether it is scanned, faxed, printed, or emailed, can stay on that machine for the life of the machine. This is a huge risk, especially when the machines are in offices that deal with personal information on a regular basis, such as financial institutions and medical offices.
If personnel simply give the machines away or throw them in the trash, it is very easy for identity thieves to acquire the information if it stays on the hard drive. They can potentially download the personal details for thousands of individuals simply by having a quick eye and paying attention to when these machines are set to be replaced. Even scarier is that the thieves could actually be employees in these offices. It is not as uncommon as you think.
It is difficult to receive services from a financial institution or a doctor without giving out your personal information. Instead, you will have to use a different course of action. On your end, make sure that when you send information electronically to any of these offices you are doing so in such a method that it will not be stored somewhere where it is accessible to the public. For example, use your personal fax machine instead of one at an office supply store. Better yet, provide your information in person.
On top of that, make sure you have identity theft protection. Note that the new law only applies to New Jersey; it is not nationwide. Plus, there is no way for you to know if the organizations actually comply with the law. With about 10 million identity theft victims in this country alone each year, it makes it hard to simply rely on other people where your credit and good name is concerned.