Receipts

At first glance, a store or bank receipt doesn’t seem to carry much information. But a skilled crook can use those bits of information to steal your money more effectively, says Levin. For instance, someone who sees a bunch of receipts from weekday evenings at Target could shop there on a Monday night without looking suspicious to the credit card company. Or your credit card’s customer service department might be more likely to believe a crook who happens to know all your recent purchases. Or a phisher could pose as your favorite restaurant via email, putting malware on your computer when you click a link. “Why have a data point that, if someone could get their hands on that, would enable them to know just one more piece of the puzzle?” says Levin. “If I don’t need it, don’t throw it away—shred it.” Instead of stuffing receipts into your wallet after every purchase, ask to receive a copy via email, or store printed receipts digitally using apps like Shoeboxed.