Why Dumpster Divers Love DIY Shredding

Confessions of a Dumpster Diver

It’s not exactly something you put on your resume or use as a conversation starter at the bar, but I will say that my career as “dumpster diver” is an incredibly lucrative gig. Of course, you have to know what you’re doing, and I humbly admit, I know exactly what I’m doing.

It’s Not What You Think

Dumpster diving isn’t what you might think. It’s not me going headfirst into a bin behind the local greasy spoon, pulling up a half-eaten egg sandwich and flicking strings of spaghetti off of it. No. In fact, I probably have nicer meals than you because what I’m after is very profitable.

Some Profitable Assumptions

What I’m after are pieces of information that come from people like you who may assume that:

1. It’s okay to just tear your discarded papers of information into pieces by hand.
2. No one is actually going to go through your garbage.
3. No one is going to take the time to reassemble those torn-up sheets of paper
4. The information on your receipts, bills, and statements has little or no value.
5. Your home shredding machine deters anyone and everyone from reassembling those self-shredded forms.

You Shred, I Assemble

Because you make the above assumptions, you haphazardly destroy and toss valuable documents. Here are some of the things I’m looking for:

1. Because you have health care insurance, me and my clients will as well. You see, you attempted to shred your ID numbers in that cheap strip shredder, but since I’m pretty good with puzzles, they were easily reassembled. I can use and sell those medical ID numbers. I wonder how long it will take you to figure out we’re double dipping.
2. Your frequent flier data, credit card information, and passport number from the boarding passes and itinerary you attempted to tear up helped pay off some of my recent bills.
3. Since you are a DIY shredder at home, I assumed you were the same with work information, and I was right. You have been shredding your financial statements, receipts, invoices, bills, and credit card information in that shredding machine you got from the office supply store. I’m glad, because I can put it all back together and retrieve valuable information.

What I Do with Your Reassembled Documents

When you DIY your shredding, your valuable information is easier to assemble, read, and then:

1. Use your identity to apply for loans in your name.
2. Open a credit card account in your name.
3. Change a billing address so that you no longer receive the bills I’m racking up in your name.
4. Obtain a mobile phone…or five.
5. Open bank accounts and write checks in your name.
6. Use your debit card number to withdraw funds.
7. Obtain a new driver’s license or identification card with your number and my picture.
8. Use your identity in the event of an arrest or court action.
9. Use your airline points for personal gain.
10. Use your medication labels for refills I can use or sell.
11. Use your identity to buy a car or get a job.

Wow, just listing those makes me salivate! You can go ahead and judge my dumpster diving ways, but thanks to your DIY shredding, it’s quite sustainable.

I shouldn’t be telling you all of this, but I just can’t help bragging about it! I really am quite clever. I certainly hope you keep shredding your own paperwork and don’t outsource to a professional shredding company.

You Can Call the Experts Instead

Wiggins Shredding is the secure alternative to DIY shredding, and a sure way to evade professional dumpster divers. We protect your documents and private information from the moment we pick them up and shred them beyond recognition, on-site at your location, in one of our industrial shredding trucks. Dumpster divers hate us—and we’re proud of it! They will hate you, too, when you give us a call at 610-692-TEAR(8327) or complete the form on this page.