Piles of personal data discovered in salvage yards


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SALT LAKE CITY — You know the old saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure?" When it comes to your wrecked car that's been towed to the junkyard, you could unknowingly be leaving treasure inside. If it's taken, it could wreck your life. It's something identity thieves already know about, but KSL Investigators discovered not many "regular" people know the risks.

A salvage yard is usually a place cars go to die, left only to be picked apart piece by piece by piece. But it turns out some of those pieces aren't even parts at all. Instead, they're forgotten documents loaded with personal information, lying out in the open for anyone to see.

"It's really scary to think all of your information is just floating out there," said Heather Colson.

A few months ago, Colson wrecked her car, then scrapped it. She thought when it was towed to the junkyard everything was completely cleared out.

"I actually did look through my car, I thought pretty well," Colson said.

It turns out she missed a few legal documents, including one with her name, address and her social security number. Her once-private information was now suddenly very public.

It could happen to you

And if you're thinking this is just a minor mishap, the KSL Investigators found out what two bucks, a few hours and thousands of beat-down cars can actually turn up.

They found dozens of documents that, in the wrong hands, could wreck your identity. Tax returns, medical records, banking information, traffic citations, debit cards, checkbooks ... many loaded with information such as names, addresses, social security numbers and bank account numbers.

The KSL Investigators took their findings to Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Daynes, who said it's a huge concern. In his experience, a lot of these cars have all the ingredients needed for someone not just to steal your money, but to become you.

"If they get your social security number, your address and your name, they will go open an account in your name," said Daynes. "That is one of the most dangerous things that you can give somebody."

(Photo: KSL-TV)
(Photo: KSL-TV)

It's all on social media

And if they need a photo ID or other personal information, social media is making it pretty easy. KSL Investigators took a handful of names found inside the cars, plugged them into Facebook, and found more than enough details about a person's life.

One guy is part of a major law firm. He has a wife and children and likes to go on vacation. Add his birthday, address and social security number found on a traffic citation left inside his old Beamer, and there could be issues.

KSL Investigators found the same issues with some newlyweds from Tooele and their 3-year-old boy. The husband likes hiking, the wife likes boating, and their son likely doesn't have a clue what all this jibber-jabber is about. But in the wrong hands, these numbers and letters found on the floor of his dad's junked-out car could muddy his future.

Don't let it happen to you
  • Check all possible compartments for forgotten documents: Glove box, underneath seats, trunk, etc.
  • Double and triple check these places before selling your vehicle or letting it be towed away after an accident
  • Don't leave documents with very sensitive information in the car at all — take those inside and secure them in a safe place

Fraud could go undetected

"Your children may not be checking their credit and you may not be checking their credit, and so that type of credit fraud may go undetected for several years," said Daynes.

Fortunately for Colson, she may have beat the crooks to the punch. She was able to retrieve valuable documents from her old car.

"I can't imagine the chaos that would cause in my world," said Colson.

The reality is that she's just one person, scrapping one car, in one row on the grounds of one junkyard. There are certainly a lot more, and for anyone trying to steal personal information, it doesn't really matter what you've got under the hood because as long as there's junk in the trunk, your identity is out in the open.

As far as the law is concerned, salvage yards have no legal responsibility to remove your stuff from the car. It's your responsibility. If you're in an accident and your car is towed away, make sure it's cleared out. Check the glove box, underneath seats, the trunk, etc. Do the same before you sell it. More importantly, documents with sensitive information shouldn't be sitting in your car in the first place. Keep them in a safe place at home.

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Mike Headrick

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