What if the next scam did not come from an email trapped or a false site, but … from your own trash cans?
Behind the sophisticated hacks that make the front page, some crooks choose methods of disconcerting simplicity. No need for complex software or expensive attacks: this time it is enough for them to dive … in our trash cans. Not to eat, but to exploit the traces of our daily life. A simple label left on a package, a delivery receipt or a document thrown too quickly can become the ideal front door to our personal data. Unfortunately, everyone makes the mistake …
Take a concrete example. You receive a laptop, unpack your package, then throw the card with its shipping label. The next day, you receive an allegedly signed e-mail Amazon. The message is precise: you are informed that the device has faults and that it must be returned. To obtain a refund, simply enter your bank card. It is not surprising in this exchange, except that it does not come from Amazon. The crook simply recovered in your waste the label mentioning your name, your address and the product purchased. Sufficient data to make a tailor -made scam and convince many consumers.
This technique has a name: the “Dumster Diving”, or plunged into the garbage cans. It is available in two main forms. The first is to collect everything that can be used to set up targeted fraud: invoices, statements, delivery labels, QR Codes. The second is based on the recovery of devices thrown, like hard drives, USB or printers, which still contain sensitive information. The phenomenon grows, carried by the explosion of electronic waste in the world. For individuals, a statement or a simple shipping box may be enough to feed a scam. For companies, an abandoned router or printer become a potential breach in an entire computer system.
Cybersecurity specialists recommend leaving nothing to chance. Before throwing a package, remove the label or block the data with an indelible marker. Tear the bills and surveys into several pieces, or better, destroy them. Never throw an electronic support without having erased it or even physically destroyed, and preferably entrust it to a secure recycling service. Finally, separate your sensitive waste from household waste and, if possible, keep your trash in a closed place. For companies, vigilance must be even more strict: systematic formatting, dismantling of equipment and team training. Simple precautions that may be enough to thwart formally effective fraud.
