An identity thief who identifies himself as “Cypher,” explained how he went dumpster diving in New York for sensitive information. Though the Liberty Coalition discovered the file in August, 2007 and reported the breach to the FBI on August 26, the file remained online several months, and was confirmed deleted only on December 7, 2007.
The text file he posted, entitled “Dumpster Diving… Part II.” contained addresses and social security numbers for 49 New York residents. The file boasts, “CONTACT ORGANIZED CONFUZION VIA VOICEMAIL: UNITED STATES HEAD QUARTERS 1+212-415-0239 AFTER 22:00” The number turned out to be a fax number.
This file was reported to the FBI (without any visible action on the FBI’s part), and the Liberty Coalition requested Google to purge it from its caches.
You can confirm whether you were affected by this breach by searching for your name at www.ssnbreach.org.
Source: www.ssnbreach.org.