Confidential information such as bank account details, names, addresses, social security numbers and credit cards could be falling straight into the hands of identity frauds, according to a new survey, which revealed that 11% of rubbish bins in the Sydney metropolitan area contained personal data readily accessible to passers by.
Of the more than 80 businesses surveyed, bank branches, lawyers and doctors offices were the guiltiest culprits when it came to casually discarding confidential information. Among the findings were a solicitor’s documents regarding a legal settlement for a real estate dispute, documenting the parties involved, the amount of the settlement, and bank account information for the account receiving the settlement. Results of blood tests from a lab were also found in the rubbish waste outside a doctor’s office, including patients’ names, addresses, social security numbers and diagnostic information. Such breach of data not only violates doctor/patient privilege and the patients’ rights under the law, but also provides information that could be used to commit medical identity theft.
In 2010 and 2011 Australians lost more than $1.4 billion due to personal fraud crimes reflecting a clear lack of awareness and concern regarding the country’s data protection laws. However, despite the results of the study, commissioned by the National Association for Information Destruction-ANZ (NAID-ANZ) to demonstrate the need for improvement in Sydney, the overall results are better than similar surveys conducted in other cities. In the same study conducted for Toronto, Canada, Madrid, Spain and London, U.K, for example, more than 40% of commercial refuse bins contained confidential information at the same cross section of organisations.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
