Dont Sell Your Second Hand Devices, SMASH THEM! @McAfeeConsumer

22 Jun 2012 · 1 min

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Robert Siciliano warns that old laptops, smartphones, and netbooks hold onto sensitive data even after you think you've erased it. Identity thieves can recover your information from used devices, so physically destroy them or factory reset before selling or recycling.

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Well, think twice before you recycle or sell that old laptop or cell phone. That tops this morning's consumer news. See, older laptops and netbooks and Android smartphones, they can all be a goldmine to identity thieves because they retain sensitive data. Well, in a USA Today article, McAfee identity theft expert Robert Siciliano suggests smashing the product really well, but before recycling it. Or did he say smashing it? He says Apple's iPad and iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry, they don't represent the same risk, but you should definitely reset those devices to their original factory settings before letting them go.