For all the attention given to cybercrime like phishing and data breaches, there is still a lot of fraud that occurs outside of electronic channels. Here are just three low-tech crimes and how to steer clear of them.
Dumpster Diving
Big data breaches are alarming due to their sheer scope (and infuriating because the victims did absolutely nothing wrong to cause the theft), but remember that a lot of identity theft still begins with someone digging around in a garbage can for credit applications or documents containing personal information.
The simplest solution to prevent dumpster diving is to shred every single piece of junk mail or document that contains personal information before you throw it out. A cross-cut shredder is the way to go, and they start at under $20 for a small one that can do one or two sheets at a time.
It’s also a good idea to find out how any businesses you utilize store and discard sensitive information. Paper documents containing personal information need to be locked securely, and they need to either shred old documents themselves or contract with a licensed and bonded document destruction company.
Contractor Scams
When your home needs repairs, make sure the work is your idea to begin with. Don’t trust a stranger who appears at your doorstep offering to fix your roof or asphalt your driveway. Use an established contractor with a physical address and some form of online presence (if not a website, at the very least some reviews that indicate that other people have heard of the company before).
Only hire businesses that work under a contract, with the price agreed upon before any work is done. A lot of contractor scams start with a verbal agreement on a price, then when the (often shoddy) work is completed, the victim finds out the price has doubled, tripled or worse. Also watch out for demands for upfront payment – another popular home repair scam is to weasel a large “deposit” out of the victim, then disappear. Anything over 20% before work starts is suspicious. You’ll pay the rest when the work is done to your satisfaction.
Finally, be especially wary after a major weather event (tornado, flood, etc.) that causes damage to your house. Fraudulent contractors come out of the woodwork after disasters, and when you’re trying to put your home back together and get things back to normal, a walk-up approach can seem tempting, but remember: losing money to a contractor scam is only going to add to your problems. Stick with an established company to save headaches later.
Sticky Mailbox Lid
There are some scams that are so tacky, the perpetrators should be ashamed of themselves. This is one of those. These crooks target mailboxes with pull-open lids, coating the inside with a sticky substance so that anything someone drops into the box stays on the lid. The crook then walks up and takes the envelope in hopes it contains a check or cash. If you’re mailing something at a mailbox with a pull-open front, double-check to make sure your envelope went all the way down. So far the cases I’ve read about happened in New York City, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before this two-bit scheme makes its way across the country.