if I was looking to steal an identity

Perhaps the problem/confusion is in the name “Identity Theft”.
As someone said earlier they usually just want someone they can use their accounts, take out loans or credit etc and the more inconspicuous that person the better.

STW is going down in my estimations. Two pages and not a single recommendation for a ridiculously overpriced shredder or purchasing a goat. FFS people

What exactly do you mean by that?
Do you mean someone has had their personal details (some of which could be from another source) being completed OR 100% from a bin?

What I mean is has anyone had their identity stolen based on document they threw in the bin? I know people who have had their cards cloned, cars cloned, been scammed on the phone, had the invoice trick above done to them but I have never met or heard of someone having their identity fraudulently used based on paper they have thrown out and genuinely interested if anyone has had this happen to them?

I’m not even really Scotroutes.

As someone said earlier they usually just want someone they can use their accounts, take out loans or credit etc

Bounce Back Loads being a case in point, some rogue bought a Porsche using a Bounce Back Loan in the name of the car dealership (almost). Very clever. Saw a Porsche for £40k and asked the dealer to email an invoice. Invoice had dealer’s bank details for BACS payment etc. Buyer applies online to Bank as the Car dealership for BBL using said bank details and gets loan approved. Fraudster phones car dealer and says money will be in your account today, can I collect the car. Dealer checks account and sees £40K appear with ‘BBL’ next to it. Looks a bit odd so phones bank to find he’s taken out a £40k loan!

Almost, got away with it….

Although what it really exposes it how utterly useless bank security is.

I suspect there will be 1000s of small businesses who will find our soon that they took out a BBL they knew nothing about when they repayments start….

Bank statements etc. get shredded and put through the compost bin here 😉

Easy source of carbon to balance out some of the nitrogen from kitchen waste and grass clippings.

I find shredding cathartic and enjoyable…

What I mean is has anyone had their identity stolen based on document they threw in the bin? I know people who have had their cards cloned, cars cloned, been scammed on the phone, had the invoice trick above done to them but I have never met or heard of someone having their identity fraudulently used based on paper they have thrown out and genuinely interested if anyone has had this happen to them?

Unless you don’t use ‘t’internet’ or companies / organisations that do (like NHS/HMRC etc.) you’d not really know.

Again the term “identity theft” is possibly misleading… (at least until you apply wider)
Scrotes are collecting your data so they can use some set of it to pretend to be you for the purpose of making money.

For whatever scam they need a set of data … part of which they may purchase legally, part of which they may purchase illegally – or they might (usually) purchase in blocks of 10,000 or 100,00 stolen identities from mixed sources.

Knowing which is next to impossible.

Think of this like a bike … you ring fence your home perhaps on whatever GPS software.
You register it on something like bike register .. you bought it from a shop etc. youtalk about it on here?? FB etc. ??

If it is stolen how do you know where the scrotes got the info?
Did they follow you home ? Was it just random ? Did they buy it from a bent copper with access to bike register? Did they get it from the shop??? Did they get it off FB??

It could be any and all of the above … unless the scrotes get caught and cough the beans up then you’ll never know.

Its the same with any other scam… the more information out there the more it will be combined and sold but you’ll never know where the individual parts of the information come from.