Beware of selling your old computer at a garage sale

Emptying your computer's desktop trash bin may not be enough.

"That only removes the directory points," said Phil Kuhlenbeck, owner of Scrapitout.com, a computer recycling and data destruction service, based in Austin, Texas.

Kuhlenbeck went on to say, "Computers could store your files in any of the "sectors," where it finds space available."

"The files that appear on your computer's desktop are merely directory files, pointing to where the information is stored." Noted Josh Green, a Scrapitout.com Technician who handles the destruction of hard drive information.

"It's easy for identity thieves to put your data back together from the scattered sectors, even if it seems the directory no longer exists." Green emphasized.

According to recent FBI testimony before Congress, identity theft is the fastest-growing crime area, nationally.

"People need to understand, deleting stuff or reformatting the disk, is not enough. Your data can still be retrieved. "Until the sectors of the hard drive are 100% overwritten or 100% destroyed, your private information is still in there." Kuhlenbeck pointed out.

Free "Do It Yourself" Information Available: www.scrapitout.com

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