Although many people are unaware of it, just about every photocopier machine produced since 2002 has a hard drive just like on your computer and just as information is stored on your computer, so do these copy machines store the copies that have been made on these copy machines.  Often these machines are leased and then sold without properly and permanently erasing the information contained on the hard drive.  Identity thieves can purchase these machines that have been used by banks, accountants offices, businesses, or medical offices with tremendous amounts of personal information that can be used to make you a victim of identity theft.  New Jersey is presently working on a law to make it illegal to sell a copy machine without erasing the hard drive.

TIPS

Don’t use copy services or public copiers for copying documents with personal information unless you have been assured that the information is encrypted and then destroyed.  Ask any business or professional with whom you do business that copies information of yours, what security steps they are taking to protect the information on their copier’s hard drive.