GONE PHISHING
A recent report on BBC TV news revealed that old computers donated by people in the UK for re-distribution to third world countries were being sent to Nigeria. That's Nigeria, phising central!
Many people assume that when they delete data from their hard disc it's gone forever. Not true. Deleted files can still be embedded in the hard disk until they are overwritten with other data, and could be retrieved by those with the relevant knowledge.
The reporter travelled to Nigeria and purchased a hard disk for a few pounds. A computer expert was then able to retrieve the personal details of a man living in the UK. The reporter turned up at the man's house and was able to tell him important information, including credit card and bank account numbers. The man was understandably shocked at the revelation.
Apparently, some companies shipping these computers abroad are more thorough than others when it comes to reformatting the hard disk.
Official advice is to use software that overwrites the information several times, which puts it beyond the use of hackers. Or, more drastically - drive a nail through the hard disk!
A free dowload to carry out a thorough disk clean is available at
www.sys-shield.com/fileshredder.htm