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Caution – Don’t Sell That Cell Phone! The Money You Get Might Not Be Worth The Embarrassment!
New York, NY
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Kessler International, the world's preeminent global computer forensics, investigative, forensic accounting and consultancy firm, today announced the results of a study which revealed that nearly 25% of the pre-owned PDAs purchased on eBay still held highly sensitive corporate data and embarrassing personal information about their previous owners.
Members of Kessler's cellular forensics team randomly selected eBay merchants selling second-hand Blackberries and Palm PDAs and purchased a total of 100 devices.
Recovered data included website passwords and login information for financial and ecommerce sites that regularly save credit card information and other personal identifiers. An insurance company's client lists, including private account numbers and loan applications were also secured from at least one of the Blackberry devices.
Additionally, email messages were still accessible on several of the PDAs. Some of these messages included the names, phone numbers, and titles of professional contacts as well as detailed business information that most companies would consider highly confidential.
Kessler's team even noted instances in which apparently inoperable devices still held retrievable data. One such defunct Palm PDA included an SD card which stored emails with nude male images containing full frontal nudity taken in a mirror as file attachments.
The cellular forensics team at Kessler International strongly advises consumers to exercise extreme caution when selling or donating previously used PDAs or any electronic devices that may hold personal information. Consumers should assume that their privacy and reputation will not be a priority to the recipient of any of these second-hand devices.
For over 22 years, Kessler International has been the world leader specializing in computer forensics, corporate investigations, forensic accounting, and brand protection. Established in 1988, Kessler International's satisfied clients are comprised of an extensive and distinguished list of Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and prestigious law firms worldwide. Its diverse staff includes former prosecutors, former law enforcement agents, attorneys, certified forensic accountants, certified fraud examiners, certified forensic computer engineers, CPAs, certified internal controls auditors, licensed investigators and researchers.
To learn more about how Kessler can assist in recovering information off of a cell phone, please visit the firm's website at www.investigation.com or call (212) 286-9100 and speak to one of the experts.
For more information about Kessler International's related studies involving electronic data retrieval see the following press release: http://www.investigation.com/press75.htm
Members of Kessler's cellular forensics team randomly selected eBay merchants selling second-hand Blackberries and Palm PDAs and purchased a total of 100 devices.
Recovered data included website passwords and login information for financial and ecommerce sites that regularly save credit card information and other personal identifiers. An insurance company's client lists, including private account numbers and loan applications were also secured from at least one of the Blackberry devices.
Additionally, email messages were still accessible on several of the PDAs. Some of these messages included the names, phone numbers, and titles of professional contacts as well as detailed business information that most companies would consider highly confidential.
Kessler's team even noted instances in which apparently inoperable devices still held retrievable data. One such defunct Palm PDA included an SD card which stored emails with nude male images containing full frontal nudity taken in a mirror as file attachments.
The cellular forensics team at Kessler International strongly advises consumers to exercise extreme caution when selling or donating previously used PDAs or any electronic devices that may hold personal information. Consumers should assume that their privacy and reputation will not be a priority to the recipient of any of these second-hand devices.
For over 22 years, Kessler International has been the world leader specializing in computer forensics, corporate investigations, forensic accounting, and brand protection. Established in 1988, Kessler International's satisfied clients are comprised of an extensive and distinguished list of Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and prestigious law firms worldwide. Its diverse staff includes former prosecutors, former law enforcement agents, attorneys, certified forensic accountants, certified fraud examiners, certified forensic computer engineers, CPAs, certified internal controls auditors, licensed investigators and researchers.
To learn more about how Kessler can assist in recovering information off of a cell phone, please visit the firm's website at www.investigation.com or call (212) 286-9100 and speak to one of the experts.
For more information about Kessler International's related studies involving electronic data retrieval see the following press release: http://www.investigation.com/press75.htm
Michael G. Kessler
President and CEO
Kessler International
New York, NY
212-286-9100
212-730-2433
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