The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, act as legal, financial or credit advice; instead, it is for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not be current. This website may contain links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser; we do not recommend or endorse the contents of any third-party sites. Readers of this website should contact their attorney, accountant or credit counselor to obtain advice with respect to their particular situation. No reader, user, or browser of this site should act or not act on the basis of information on this site. Always seek personal legal, financial or credit advice for your relevant jurisdiction. Only your individual attorney or advisor can provide assurances that the information contained herein – and your interpretation of it – is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation. Use of, and access to, this website or any of the links or resources contained within the site do not create an attorney-client or fiduciary relationship between the reader, user, or browser and website owner, authors, contributors, contributing firms, or their respective employers.
Credit.com receives compensation for the financial products and services advertised on this site if our users apply for and sign up for any of them. Compensation is not a factor in the substantive evaluation of any product.
The British identity theft protection firm CPP has the goods. It took a good, long look at used mobile phones purchased by consumers on eBay and concluded that over half of the devices (54%) contained extensive personal data.
[Resource: 12 Tips for Protecting Your Identity]
The CPP report lists 247 pieces of personal data that cell phone owners have left exposed after selling their devices on the secondary market. Here’s what topped the list:
Of particular interest is how consumers reacted to the data from CPP. The company reported that 81% of respondents claimed to have deleted and cleared their phones before putting them on the market. So, what gives? According to security experts at CCP, a manual erase often still leaves data intact and retrievable.
Unfortunately, it’s up to users to make sure their cell phones are wiped clean before personally reselling them.
“This report is a shocking wake up call and shows how mobile phones can inadvertently cause people to be careless with their personal data,” says Danny Harrison, a mobile data specialist with CPP. “With the rapid technology advancements in the smart phone market and new models released by manufactures multiple times a year, consumers are upgrading their mobiles more than ever and it is imperative people take personal responsibility to properly manage their own data.”
“If they do sell or recycle them online or even give them to friends and family, they need to ensure they remove all their personal information thoroughly and consider the serious consequences of not doing so,” he adds.
[Identity Theft: Free Identity Risk Score and profile from Credit.com]
So, how do you safely and thoroughly clear your phone before selling it? CPP advises destroying the phone’s SIM card and rechecking the phone to see that it’s clean before parting with it.
Here are a few tips from the firm on how to erase all the data on your cell phone before parting with it:
Image by waywuwei, via Flickr
October 19, 2023
Identity Theft and Scams
May 17, 2022
Identity Theft and Scams
May 20, 2021
Identity Theft and Scams