You have to take this into accountCredit cards thrown in the trash? Possible fine of 2,500 euros!
Cash and health cards are not included in household waste.
VALENTIN VOLKOV
Money for the trash? Yes, but please do it right.
If you want to throw away old money and health cards with sensitive data, you should keep a few things in mind. Because cards that are scratched carelessly or only cut once can be very expensive.
Thousands in fines?
Many people don’t know: credit, checking and health cards are considered electronic waste because of their small integrated chips. And if disposed of incorrectly, it can cost a lot of money, depending on the state. Yes, the chances of getting caught are very small. But anyone who throws their old, expired card and all its data in the trash can get into trouble and be exposed, for example through data theft. And for the sake of the environment, small electronic components should not end up as non-recyclable household waste.
And that’s why they came here: The most important tips before the most important data ends up in the trash and taken again by the wrong people.
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If you want to be safe, give your debit card to a place where electrical equipment can be disposed of. For example, at a recycling center. But be careful, here too the data must be made unrecognizable first. For cash cards, this means four steps.
First, the small electronic chip you see on the card must be cut off. Then three more pieces are missing: along the magnetic strip, name and IBAN. In the case of credit cards, the signature field must also be destroyed. Ideally, you tear the card, but scissors with the correct cut as mentioned above will do.
Then what about the health card?
The smaller the footage, the better! The health card also has a small electronic chip to read the data, which must be tampered with. Additionally, your name, date of birth and insurance number may be rendered illegible. The most conspicuous thing is still missing: the photo on the card. To ensure that strangers cannot misuse the data, the photos must also be cropped until they are no longer identifiable.
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If you want to save on all this and don’t want to make a special trip to the dump, you can at least go to a trusted bank that has cash cards. Here the data is destroyed and disposed of simply and correctly.
Sources used: Chip.de, Sparkasse, ING Germany
