Identity Theft through Dumpster Diving

dumpster diving, identity theft, binners

The most common way for identity to be stolen is through dumpster diving.

I suppose the government doesn't want to have to prosecute every raccoon that rummages through trash bins at night looking for a few scraps of food.

By Citizen Correspondent Ryan Liedtky , U.S.A.

Date Posted: 11/25/06

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"Dumpster Diving," as it's called, was a common practice for my grandmother. She found all kinds of goodies, from lamps to clothes. Until recently, I had no problem with dumpster diving. I even thought it was a good way to save money and to keep from burying waste under-ground in landfills. Good for environment. And it really is. But recently, someone I know became a "victim" of this practice.

In the past, people always went dumpster diving to get goods, food, clothes, appliances, etc. Now, however, there's a new wave sweeping across the nation, and the world, that is quite scary. It's called Identity Theft, and the US Federal Trade Commission considers it the fastest growing fraud-crime (http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/01/topten.htm).

According to the U.S. Department of Justice website, the second most common way for identity to be stolen is through dumpster diving.

I know I didn't take an interest in this until it happened to someone I know. And shame on me for that. Still, I've taken an interest in it now, and it seems that dumpster diving, while not illegal in most parts of the US, should be. Trash is not considered personal property and the US Supreme Court has ruled that there is not an expectation of privacy with trash left outside, even if on private property. But that doesn't seem right to me.

Trash is still considered property, and when the federal government is involved, it's considered government property (United States v. Robie (2d Cir. 1999) 166 F.3d 444, 454-456 [defendant who took stamps the post office intended to destroy as trash was liable for stealing property]). Why the double standard? Seems the government is more interested in protecting itself than it is in protecting its citizens. Is that really a big surprise, though?

I suppose the government doesn't want to have to prosecute every raccoon that rummages through trash bins at night looking for a few scraps of food. Maybe the government's afraid they have rabies and is afraid to get bitten trying to put those handcuffs on them. Or maybe the problem is that we, as a community, as a society, haven't pressured the government to put an end to this practice.