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Identity Theft, Free For the Taking

This just arrived in my inbox, via the local Freecycle list...

From: XXXXXXX@yahoo.com
To: freecycleLowellMA@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:38:33 -0000
Subject: [Freecycle Lowell] OFFER: 10.2 GB Hard Drive (Lowell)

Model:IBM DPTA-371020. Part #07N3339. ATA-IDE. No Idea whats on it.

"No idea what's on it." I've got a bunch of hard drives kicking around my apartment that fit that description too. I sure wouldn't hand off them to a stranger, though. I like my credit score just the way it is, thanks.

Sounds like an identity thief's wet dream. No dumpster diving necessary, just an old hard drive, probably long since forgotten (it's a 10GB drive, after all). Could be full of personal information about somebody, maybe even some old tax returns or bank statements?

Freecycle should adopt some guidelines, or at least some recommendations, about this sort of thing. Maybe they already have, but it's not on their FAQ.