back to article Snail mail thieves feed international identity theft rings say Oz cops

You may run security software, encrypt everything, protect your very complex passwords and use two-factor authentication for everything, but the humble mailbox and the snail mail it contains can still see your identity stolen. So say Police in the Australian State of New South Wales, where Fraud and Cybercrime Squad detectives …

  1. Winkypop Silver badge
    Alert

    I already lock my snail house*

    However, a better lock is now on the list.

    * Actual garden snails just love our letterbox, seems appropriate.

    No tinfoil hat icon?

  2. Mark 85

    It used to be that the thieves just stole checks and maybe your bank account statement for further mayhem... now they want it all. <sigh>

  3. Voland's right hand Silver badge
    Devil

    friends noticed a bank statement envelope open in their letterbox and months later learned that parties unknown had used the information in the letter to socially engineer a bank call centre and establish a new user for an internet banking account. Months later, thousands of dollars disappeared*

    What is a bank statement envelope? Is it a species of Tyrannosaurus Rex? I thought you can see those only in a museum.

    With all due respect if you are still getting documents which can result in identity fraud by insecure snail mail you will be hit by identity fraud. Bank statements, credit card statements, etc do not belong in a snail mail envelope - they are actually more secure online (*).

    * I wish I could make the idiots in the tax office stop sending me tax code changes by snail mail too.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Wonder:

      Is the paperless office the earliest example of "vapourware"?

    2. Colin Bull 1
      Coat

      That is easy

      * I wish I could make the idiots in the tax office stop sending me tax code changes by snail mail too.-

      Send me your NI number. I will add you to my spoof payroll. Change your address to my accommodation address. When I run my EPS/FPS (Real Time Filing) all your changes of coding, refund cheques and history of employment will be sent to my address. Simples.

      ICO and HMRC do not think this is a problem.

      The OTHER Colin Bull

    3. JCitizen
      Flame

      That was what I was thinking!!

      All my accounts and commerce are done electronically - the only irritating thing I still get are credit card offers, and I always shred them. Fortunately I have a PO box, so that is already a fairly secure location.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I would suspect that paper recycling boxes are a much richer source of unshredded personal documents. All you have to do is wear a high viz jacket and trundle a large bin along a street before the legitimate pick up occurs.

  5. Anonymous South African Coward Bronze badge

    I don't get any physical bank statements via snail-mail anymore, nowadays it is all electronic.

    Oh wait...

    1. JCitizen
      Childcatcher

      More convenient..

      I consider the convenience worth the risk of doing e-commerce. Besides, I get instant alerts out of band, on any changes made to any account, password failures, credit alerts,etc., etc.

  6. Christoph

    Secure you mail box? Isn't it lucky that postal workers are so well treated and highly paid that they would never dream of intercepting your mail before it even reaches the box.

  7. Erebus

    There's no coming back from it

    Once your identity is stolen, there's no coming back from it in NSW because credit agencies use your drivers license # to identify you, and the government will not issue a new license #.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    There's no coming back

    Once your identity is stolen, there's no coming back from it in NSW because credit agencies use your drivers license # to identify you, and the government will not issue a new license #.

    1. Gotno iShit Wantno iShit

      Re: There's no coming back

      Ah ha! after all these years the identity of Anonymous Coward is revealed!

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