Business cards

Think about this for a while. The humble business card, paraded and deposited everywhere, offers a wealth of information to those intent on stealing an identity. What information does your business card hold about you?

1) your name
2) your employer's name
3) your contact details (telephone numbers, website URLs, email address, etc.)
4) your job title

and on some business cards, the following may be found
5) your education (for example, what degree you have and from where you have it)
6) the region for your employment activities (such as, Yorkshire Regional Manager)


How much more information would I need to be able to create a false identity? Ask yourself this question. These cards hold a wealth of information, and if the are distributed randomly to every person you see, you may inadvertently hand this information directly into the paws of an identity thief. Furthermore, even more information will be gleaned if the latter is done, because suddenly the thief has extra information to create a convincing false identity. Now they have your ethnic origin, regional dialect, know whether you are married or single, wear spectacles or use a walking stick. Get the picture?

The point I am trying to make is, use your business card wisely. Don't stop using them, but be more cautious and discerning about the destination of these valuable bits of card. Furthermore, ensure that the person who receives your card, really does want it and will keep it safe. In fact, print on the reverse of the card the following message

"Dear Sir/Madam,

Should you no longer wish to retain this business card, may I respectfully request that you destroy this card in the interest of identity protection. Many thanks.


Yours Sincerely,


{your name}"

Be cautious and exercise common sense!