Identity Theft Via Used Copier Machines: Who Needs Social Networking?

| May 21, 2010 | 0 comments

This is one of the most disturbing FAILS I have ever heard of.

“(CBS) At a warehouse in New Jersey, 6,000 used copy machines sit ready to be sold. CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports almost every one of them holds a secret.

Nearly every digital copier built since 2002 contains a hard drive – like the one on your personal computer – storing an image of every document copied, scanned, or emailed by the machine.

In the process, it’s turned an office staple into a digital time-bomb packed with highly-personal or sensitive data.

If you’re in the identity theft business it seems this would be a pot of gold.

“The type of information we see on these machines with the social security numbers, birth certificates, bank records, income tax forms,” John Juntunen said, “that information would be very valuable.”

Read the full article at CBS News. (Thanks for the tip Mike V.)

Image courtesy Robert Morris University

Filed Under: Hackers • Lifestyle • Local Search • Media

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DJ Brady

About the Author

DJ Brady has been in the industry for over 15 years. Due to being rather OCD about research into every nook and cranny of the latest tech, DJ is full of bizarre knowledge that may or may not be relevant to, well, anything. He has attended CES, E3 and GDC (upcoming) trade shows for years. Once upon a time he managed a local overseas importing video game shop, eventually a Gamestop, and at another time wrote for an insider trade magazine called "The VideoGame Advisor". You can contact him at Djbrady@mobilelocalsocial.com and on Twitter @ZenInsight (he comments here under this name too)