Concerning identity theft, I'm told I should shred all documents
containing my personal information before throwing them in the trash. 
I understand this applies to credit card applications, bank statements
and such but here's my question:  What about catalogs, journals and
magazines that have my name, address and bar code info on them? 
Should I be shredding these as well? After all, they ARE personal
information.  But is this the type of info an identity theif would
use?  I don't mean to sound paranoid and I'm actually starting from a
standpoint of being totally naive about the subject. Currently, I've
been tearing off the name and address from the back cover of catalogs
and also tearing off the name and address from the order blank inside
and shredding them and then throwing the rest of the catalog (or
magazine or journal) in the trash.  I've asked several people about
this but no one seems to know for sure and most people tell me they
aren't doing this themselves but they advise me that I probably should
continue to do it myself (kind of a CYA - just in case).  If I was to
stop shredding the name and address info from these periodicals it
would decrease my shredding (both time and volume) but over 95%. 
Should I be shredding this info too or can I just pitch the catalogs
and not worry about it.  Thanks for your time and attention.  -rw

Dear randyw-ga

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. In all
the years I have been in law enforcement (and lo, they are many) I
have never had occasion to even hear of someone becoming a victim of
identity theft because someone manipulated a barcode from a
subscription magazine label. There are some law enforcement agencies
and financial institutions that encourage citizens to shred everything
they receive in the mail after they are done with the document,
including magazine labels or anything with a bar code. This is not
because identity theft is prevalent due to the information on the
label but because it?s simply the safest way to be certain for those
who are a bit ?paranoid? about it (as you put it ? and don?t
misunderstand me, there?s nothing wrong with being cautious).

According to the US Postal Inspection Service ?only 4 percent of
identity theft originates with the mail?

Memo to Mailers - September 2003 (Text)
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
VOLUME 38 NUMBER 9
SEPTEMBER 2003
http://www.usps.com/memotomailers/sept2003.htm

As a general rule barcodes on mail contains additional information
like the delivery routing zip code, where it came from, a date/time
stamp, and the amount of the postage. Some barcodes also contain the
day of the month and the time that an envelope was processed, the
postal facility where it was processed, and a sequential number
assigned to each piece handled. There is really nothing on the typical
barcode that would represent personally identifiable information that
is not already available on the side of your mailbox. Therefore, if it
makes you comfortable to shred these labels I?d recommend you continue
doing it, but only if you want to be overly cautious. At the very
least you could save time by simply swiping over the barcodes with a
permanent black marker rendering them unreadable before discarding
them in the trash. Criminals are like water ? they often take the path
of least resistance. There are so many other discarded documents in
the trash out there that most criminals would pass up an obscured
document in favor of another.

On the other hand, as I mentioned, considering the billions of pieces
of mail handled annually, I personally know of not one single instance
anywhere in the United States of someone stealing another?s identity
from a barcoded mail label.

I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

USPS BARCODES
http://pe.usps.gov/mpdesign/misc_docs/mqc_html/mqc_5.htm

POSTNET BARCODE CERTIFICATION
http://www.usps.com/ncsc/addressservices/certprograms/barcode.htm

WHAT IS A POSTNET BARCODE AND HOW CAN YOU DECODE IT?
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/conceptd.nsf/webmain/8867C90A424D6DFD86256B4F007ABF5D


SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

MAIL

LABEL

BARCODE

BAR CODE

POSTNET

USPS

IDENTITY THEFT

Think of it this way,

If the objective of an Identity Theft bod is to appear to be you,
usually in order to acquire money or possessions, the more information
they have the better.

Think about the sort of questions you are asked whenever you are asked who you are.

For example, last time I rung my cable provider, I was identified with:
* Name
* Address
* Phone number
* Method of Payment (e.g. Direct Debit, Cheque, Cash)
* Which bank I use

Given that my name and address is on a lot of my post, my phone number
in the phone directories, and even a stock letter from my bank will
show which bank I use, that only leaves method of payment. As there
are a limited number of choices, this can be guessed. An experienced
Identity Theft bod probably would have some clues so that he/she
didn't have to guess.

Personally I don't shred things with just my name and address.

However, I'd ensure you also shred even stock letters from your bank.

Ratty
[Note: not my real name - my real name has been shredded]