| Photocopiers are a risk for ID Theft |
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| Monday, 19 March 2007 | ||||
 Magazines, institutions and independent web sites and blogs keep spreading this uncomforting message: we are constantly under the risk of identity theft. We are so used to new clever method to cheat consumers that we should not be surprised about a further threat represented by photocopiers. Specifically, digital copiers manufactured in the past five years have disk drives to reproduce documents, which are very similar to those used for Computers. This means that those apparently innocuous machines can actually retain the data being scanned… and represent an effective instrument for data- thieves. As reported by Associated Press, the real problem appears If the data on the copier's disk aren't protected with encryption or an overwrite mechanism, and if someone with malicious motives gets access to the machine, industry experts say sensitive information from original documents could get into the wrong hands. For example, in the USA, when at “Tax time” millions of citizens photocopy tax returns, criminals could easily get confidential information by photocopiers: “Consumers and business owners will photocopy highly confidential tax forms containing Social Security numbers, employer identification numbers and other sensitive information in places outside the home, leaving them vulnerable to digital theft," Ed McLaughlin, president of Sharp Document Solutions Company of America declared. Moreover, he added that even if some copier makers have started adding security features, there are still too many old copiers that could represent an open target. According to a survey commissioned by the photocopiers firm Sharp, more than half of Americans did not know copiers carried this data security risk, and about 55% of them declared to be going to make photocopies and printouts of their tax returns and related documents. Most of these copies will be made at offices, libraries and copy shops: public places wher it could be easy to get illegal access to data. Many big companies that are particular careful to security measure, already included “photocopiers” in the list of holes to be fixed up, but the major threat is for small companies and everyday consumers that are less likely to be informed about the risks brought about making copies of their sensitive documents.
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