Thieves hit bins to steal identities
Thieves have been rifling through bins in the Lisburn area in an apparent identity theft attempt.
Householders are being urged to make sure that confidential information be shredded before being disposed of after thieves were seen rifling through bin in Woodview Crescent.
A concerned member of the public who was cycling to work contacted Councillor Ronnie Crawford after witnessing the suspicious activity.
Mr Crawford is urging people to take notice: “Two men and a woman have been spotted in Woodview Crescent around 5.30am rifling bins laid out for collection and removing papers.
“Householders are advised to shred any documents containing sensitive information such as credit card details or other confidential material.
“Bins should not, where possible, be left out overnight. Anyone witnessing such activity should contact the police immediately.”
A thief can pretend to be you simply by stealing a cheque book, personal bills, or details through an open source (internet, births and deaths registers etc).
Such details may allow the thief to open bank accounts, gain credit cards, loans, state benefits, or simply to take over your existing accounts.
The details may also be used to obtain genuine documents.