Avoiding scams, fraud, stolen identity, theft, etc.

[QuarterMillionMan]

1) unable to wipe the hard drive due to unable to log-in (screen freezes)
2) I have the hard drive. It's a Western Digital 256 GB SSD.

[james.hendrickson]

QMM - I'm not an expert, but if the hard drive is not in the laptop, then how can the buyer get access to your personally identifying information or passwords?

Maybe someone who knows will weigh in here.

[ua_guy]

If someone really wanted to, they could potentially read the contents of the drive even if they don't have your passwords. Data can be lifted straight off a physical hard disk or SSD. The drive would have to get into the wrong hands, someone would have to be really interested, etc. It's not something I'd give away to a thrift store, but it's possible the drive could end up somewhere you don't want it to be. It really depends on what's on it, that matters.

If the drive is still functional, you might be able to create a boot disk other than the HD and then wipe it from the command prompt. I think that's still possible on windows pc's?

Or...add it as a secondary drive, provided you have an open slot for another HD, and wipe it from your primary OS

Or...buy an enclosure, connect it as an external drive, and wipe it, and then you have a backup or portable drive...

Or...do like lots of people do... smash it with a hammer if you no longer need it, or if it's no longer working. A screen freeze kinda seems like maybe it could be a data corruption issue with the OS or another hardware problem.

[ua_guy]

Speaking of avoiding identity theft. Sharing some knowledge I gained recently... I received a discount for one of those ID theft prevention services through a popular credit bureau. Figured, why not, <$20 is worth an hour of entertainment. And it was.

Of course, my PII is on the dark web. That didn't surprise me. What did surprise me are the recommended steps if theft occurs. The presence of your data isn't cause for alarm, the use of it is. SO far, nobody has used it in malicious ways. Even then, the service recommends:

a) Filing a police report to document that PII was found on the dark web, specifically, for social security numbers.
b) Filing a report with the FTC in the event that your PII or SSN is used to steal your identity, apply for credit, employment benefits, etc.

I took the liberty of locking all 3 of my credit bureau reports. That was very quick and easy to do. Just have to remember to unlock if I ever apply for credit.

The service also recommended setting up your Social Security account and reviewing the work/income history they have on file. Check.

It also recommended setting up a PIN with the IRS to prevent others from filing tax returns in your name. Check.

Of less importance to me, the service also included automated removal of personal or public information found on the internet, i.e. people search sites that correlate names, addresses, employers, phone numbers, etc. It did find a few, no big deal, and I guess there is value in having that stuff removed from search results. Basically, it makes it harder for would-be thieves to find enough information to have your "identity" if they get hold of an actual valuable piece of information, like a username/password to a bank or something.

As part of the service you get copies of your credit reports, credit scores. It's always worth reviewing those to make sure you are familiar with all the history and all account status are as expected.

For <$20 I feel like this was about worth what I paid, a good way to spend an hour checking in on identity health and any vulnerabilities. Nobody is completely safe, of course, but there is some peace of mind in completing an annual inspection checklist so identity theft isn't a blind spot -- as it tends to be for many people!