Warning: Donating your stuff could leave you open to identity theft

  | 
Team Clark is adamant that we will never write content influenced by or paid for by an advertiser. To support our work, we do make money from some links to companies and deals on our site. Learn more about our guarantee here.

Before you donate your household goods to a charity, you need to take certain measures to protect yourself from potential identity theft!

RELATED: Why donating to online fundraisers can be dangerous

The hidden danger of your charitable donations

When people donate goods to Goodwill, the Salvation Army or other charities, they often don’t remember to empty the drawers in the furniture or the pockets in the clothing they’re dropping off. That kind of negligence could create a field day for an identity thief.

According to a stunning report from WTHR 13, a woman was able to buy 39 pounds of personal documents at a Goodwill Outlet Store in Indiana. Such outlet stores are the last stop for merchandise that doesn’t get sold at the charity’s regular retail locations.

Among the trove of documents the woman got were bank statements, divorce papers, pay stubs, tax returns, medical and dental records, insurance documents, checking and savings account information — all from one family.

Clark admits that’s even he’s been negligent in the past when making donations.

‘I recently donated two old suitcases. As I went to drop them off, I thought, ‘Hey I should see what’s in the pockets,” the consumer champ says. ‘Well, I found 20 euros in one pocket and some papers in another pocket that had sensitive info I wouldn’t want getting out.’

An ounce of prevention…

Do the charitable donation outlets themselves leave you open to identity theft? No…you do it to yourself, as Clark could have done to myself.

So before you donate anything, make sure you go through the drawers or pockets to avoid any potential problems down the line. We talk about all the hacking online, but sometimes it’s plain old paper documents that get us in trouble!

As for Goodwill, they’re doing an internal investigation and will make sure safer security procedures like shredding of all documents becomes the norm. They also recommend donors carefully scrutinize what they’re giving away so something like this doesn’t happen again.

Don’t let this deter you from giving; just take it as a warning to do your due diligence before donated items leave your home.

RELATED: Year-end giving that also gives YOU a tax write off

This post was last modified on August 21, 2018 10:01 am

Recent Posts

Free Mobile Passport Control App Saves You Time in Airport Customs

If you plan to take an international flight or cruise anytime soon, there's one free…

20 hours ago

Where Should I Set Up My Health Savings Account (HSA)?

Pop quiz: What's money expert Clark Howard's favorite tax-advantaged retirement tool? If you guessed Roth…

1 day ago

YouTube TV Unveils Limited-Time Offer for 2024 NFL Sunday Ticket

Are you considering subscribing to NFL Sunday Ticket for the upcoming season? Now may be…

1 day ago

Clark Warns Major Changes To Credit Card Rewards Are Coming Soon

Did you know major changes are coming for the way credit card processing fees are…

2 days ago

Costco Car Insurance: 5 Things To Know Before You Get a Policy

There’s a lot to love about Costco. The company has deals on just about every…

3 days ago

Clark’s Advice on Becoming a Travel Agent

Money expert Clark Howard started a travel agency in his mid-20s and grew it into…

3 days ago