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March 15, 2006

HOW TO HAVE YOUR IDENTITY STOLEN

Simple.

If Chase sends you a credit card application, just tear it up and throw it away.

Because if someone tapes it back together and puts a new address on the form, Chase will let them activate it with a cell phone.

Or you can buy yourself a sub-$20 shredder, and mix the remains in with your wet kitchen garbage.

Your call.

[Hat tip: Musings from Brian J. Noggle]

Posted by: Harvey at 03:31 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
Post contains 74 words, total size 1 kb.

1 The wet garbage is really the key. The nastier the better. I recommend baby poo and/or mold.

Posted by: caltechgirl at March 15, 2006 04:22 PM (jOkK0)

2 Comment pop-up at mu.nu is randomly messing up... Go here: http://www.consumerist.com In the search box type: "debit card" Read about all of the reports of ripped of ATM / Debit card information going on lately. It's huge. Never use your ATM card as a debit care (e.g. where you have to put in your PIN.) Very bad.

Posted by: _Jon at March 15, 2006 04:24 PM (/R7YK)

3 Oh my! This worries me and I am already a paranoid shredder. Going to make hubby read this though....

Posted by: Richmond at March 15, 2006 04:26 PM (e8QFP)

4 *snort* Ya know, if people actually used garbage bags in their garbage cans, that would solve a lot of this, right there. I see about 100 or so credit card applications blowing down the street behind my truck every day. All because people just throw the app on top of their garbage can.

Posted by: the Humble Devildog at March 15, 2006 10:15 PM (TIYju)

5 Might I add a suggestion to the shredder -- be sure it's a cross-cut shredder. It's actually not that hard to re-assemble a line shredded document...but near impossible to do that with a crosscut.

Posted by: Ogre at March 16, 2006 06:01 AM (/k+l4)

6 An empty 5Gal metal pail and a cynder/patio block from K-Mart a metal screen on top(NOT window screen)place the pail on the block...home made burn barrel, or just toss that crap into your wood burning stove to help cut yor heating bill.

Posted by: blogless brother at March 16, 2006 06:30 AM (LqXT9)

7 Tear it up, run some water on the pieces, wad them up in several different clumps, dispose of clumps in 2 or more different trash cans.

Posted by: Harvey at March 16, 2006 06:48 AM (ubhj8)

8 Those guys also send prestamped envelopes with those applications. It's fun to send five or six pieces back (not the whole app, just the section with directions on it) anyway when they put it back together they'll see the nasty suggestion you've written on it. Just a fun idea...and at their expense because THEY paid for the stamp. HAR HAR!!

Posted by: shimauma at March 16, 2006 11:57 AM (oH+XM)

9 You dang city folk. ;D Just burn the damn thing