Express Business News

Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company

Every day seems to bring reports of a new scam designed to pry personal information out of your fingers or your files, to be used to bilk you out of your money.

There are lots of high-tech ways to protect your personal information. But people often forget that scammers most commonly use low-tech strategies — looking through trash, or riffling through papers in the recycle bin you've set out on the street.

A con needs only to get his hands on pieces of paper with your name, address, date of birth or government-issued identification numbers to start racking up debt in your name. Even those pre-approved credit card offers are cause for concern because cons can use them to take out new lines of credit under your name.

The state Attorney General's Office says that one in six people will become victims of identity theft, the fastest-growing white-collar crime in the country. If you aren't shredding your important paperwork, or finding some other way to destroy it, you should be. Full Story