Computers are a mainstay of our way of life. What's alarming is, when most people get rid of their computer, they put themselves at risk of identity theft and other abuses. That's why we're taking action to tell you what you need to do before you replace your computer.Tom Kenny
Look at this statistic. According to the federal EPA, 500-million personal computers have been thrown away in just the last seven years.
What's troubling is, an overwhelming number of those disgarded computers still had the hard drives in them full of personal and sensitive information. That creates a crime of opportunity for computer-savvy thieves. They can steal your money and identity.
We decided to show how vulnerable you can be when you throw out your old computer.
We went dumpster diving in Lexington and it didn't take long to find a personal computer that had been thrown out with the trash.
We took the computer to computer forensic examiner Eric Lakes of Cyber Agents, Incorporated of Lexington.
He was able to find e-mail messages, a name, age and birth date of an individual. He found personal letters that had been written, including an individual's name and address. He was able to find what the users looked at on the Internet, which included everything from instant messaging to pornography.
Think about all the people who do their taxes, banking, bill paying and shopping online. That sensitive information could still be on the hard drive if you don't take the necessary steps to erase or protect your information before you get rid of your computer.
So what should you do to protect yourself? Computer forensic examiner Eric Lakes offers these safety/security tips:
* Remove the hard drive. Store it in a safe place or destroy it.
* Have a reputable computer supplier safely overwrite your files.
* Use disk cleaning software.
Lakes does caution that on the disk cleaning software option, you must make sure you operate the program perfectly, or it may not do everything it is supposed to do to wipe the hard drive clean. Lakes said it's often more efficient, safe and cost effective to take it to a reputable professional to overwrite your files than it is to run a disk cleaning software program yourself.
Lakes also said that just because you hit the "delete" button on an e-mail or program or delete the history of the Web sites you've visited, doesn't mean they're gone. An identity thief might be able to recover that information, possibly putting you and your family at risk.
And this doesn't just apply to computers that people throw in the trash. You need to take the same precautions if you give the computer away, sell it or donate it to a charity.
Even though some charities and the city of Lexington wipe the hard drive's clean before the computers are recycled, don't leave it up to them. Do it yourself. We're talking about your identity and privacy, so don't take any chances.
Here are the files you should remove before you get rid of your computer:
* E-mail contacts
* E-mail messages
* All documents
* All files in the operating system recycle bin or trash folder
* Internet files
* All non-transferable software (most software is transferable if you have the original disks and product key)
Here are some Shared Windows disk-cleaning utilities (free of charge):
* Active Kill Disk: Hard Drive Eraser
* Disk Cleaner
* Sure Delete
* Others available on http://www.shareware.com/
If you have children who use the computer, you have to protect their identity as well. For example, don't use their real name in an e-mail address. Closely monitor what they do and look at online. Remember, children are often the target of online predators, so safeguarding what's on the hard drive is especially important.
If you'd like more information on computer forensic examiner Eric Lakes at Cyber Agents, Incorporated, visit http://www.cyberagentsinc.com.
For more information on how to protect your identity and what to do if you believe your identity has been stolen, visit the Federal Trade Commission Web site at http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft/..