In a recent study, researchers at the University of Maryland found personal data remained on many used cellphones purchased through a police auction website.

Police departments typically acquire phones through civil asset forfeiture, but are sometimes the destination for items from the airport lost and found. Over a period of months, UMD researchers purchased 228 used phones from PropertyRoom.com, a reseller partnering with thousands of police departments.

Many of the phones contained personal information. One phone used in an identity theft scheme was resold with the identity theft victims' complete credit histories. The researchers did not use any software to break into the phones.

Dave Levin, associate professor of computer science at the University of Maryland and the report's author, said they found many people are not taking basic precautions.

"First off, choose a good pin," Levin urged. "We found about 20% or so of the phones that we ended up purchasing didn't have any pin we turned it on and it was just unlocked. For the other phones that we got into we guessed the pins because the pins were things like 1234, 6666 these types of things."

Researchers notified PropertyRoom.com, which advised them it will no longer sell phones with personal information. PropertyRoom.com did not respond to our request for comment.

To address issues with other resellers handling lost-and-found items, such as web outlets or pawnshops, researchers say legislation would be needed. While the issue of law enforcement reselling electronics containing personal data could also be addressed by legislation -- which at a minimum required the devices to be wiped clean -- Levin argued the best approach would be for police departments to not resell phones.

"We didn't use any of the clever tools and tricks," Levin pointed out. "Prior work has shown that even when you think you wipe something, it might not wipe something altogether. Not necessarily. We've seen that on phones, but it just the safest thing would have been to just destroy the phones altogether."

With the power of modern cellphones to handle so many tasks, the amount of personal data stored on the devices can be vast.

Richard Roberts, a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland and student project lead on the study, said many of the phones contained a lot of personal information.

"For over a quarter of the phones, about ... 27% that we purchased, we were able to super easily see all of the personal information from the previous person who owned it," Roberts recounted. "Whether that was texts, phone calls, emails, photos, anything that was on the phone."

UMD researchers destroyed the phones after the study was concluded.


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Buying a used car can be a risky proposition, but a new consumer guide can help people avoid common pitfalls.

The nonprofit Oregon Consumer Justice just released the first edition of its free resource, called the Consumer Confidence Comics. The unique guide doubles as an interactive comic book with coloring pages.

Michelle Luedtke, communications director for Oregon Consumer Justice, describes it as a fun way to learn how to ask the right questions.

"When you get promises from a dealer, where do you capture those to make sure that they'll be part of your final contract?" Luedtke asked. "We have a checklist of different questions to ask at a dealer about purchasing a used car. You can also download as a resource on our website."

The guide is available in English and Spanish.

Used car prices shot up during the pandemic but have come down a bit in the last year, with the average used car selling for about $31,000, according to iseecars.com.

Luedtke also recommended taking the time to read the fine print on any contracts. The guide goes through the process from start to finish.

"Whether or not you should be looking for financing beforehand, or what dealer financing looks like? What are scams that are common around purchasing a vehicle," Luedtke outlined. "And then also, what to do if things go wrong."

In Oregon, used car dealers have 14 days to finalize the financing, so you could drive it off the lot and then have to return it if the loan falls through. Consumers are advised not to make any changes to the car until they get a welcome letter from their lender.

In 2022, Americans purchased about 39 million used vehicles.

Buying a used car can be a risky proposition but a new consumer guide can help people avoid common pitfalls.

The nonprofit Oregon Consumer Justice just released the first edition of its free resource called the Consumer Confidence Comics. The unique guide doubles as an interactive comic book with coloring pages.

Michelle Luedtke, communications director for Oregon Consumer Justice, said it is a fun way to learn how to ask the right questions.

"When you get promises from a dealer, where do you capture those to make sure that they'll be part of your final contract?" Luedtke asked. "We have a checklist of different questions to ask at a dealer about purchasing a used car, you can also download as a resource on our website."

The guide is available in English and Spanish. Used car prices shot up during the pandemic but have come down a bit in the last year, with the average used car selling for about $31,000, according to iseecars.com.

Luedtke also recommended taking the time to read the fine print on any contracts. The guide goes through the process from start to finish.

"Whether or not you should be looking for financing beforehand, or what dealer financing looks like? What are scams that are common around purchasing a vehicle," Luedtke outlined. "And then also what to do if things go wrong."

In 2022, Americans purchased about 39 million used vehicles. The website Statista projects used car dealers in California will pull in about $11.7 billion in revenue this year.

The federal SNAP program allows nearly 1.3 million Ohio families to put food on the table -- but increasingly, when many recipients attempt to use their card at a store, they are told they do not have enough funds.

At grocery and convenience stores across the state, fraudsters are installing illegal skimming devices capable of reading cards as they are swiped and using the card data to steal money.

Alisha Love, an EBT card user, said she has been a victim of EBT theft more than once. She believes the state and federal government should invest in chip security for SNAP to better protect people relying on the program.

"I haven't even gotten reimbursed for the first one, and I'm working with Legal Aid right now," Love pointed out. "My kids need money to eat. Right now I am using cash, and it is bleeding me dry from all the finances."

The Ohio benefits office recommends SNAP recipients change their pin number immediately after they suspect being scammed and replace their EBT card by calling 1-866-386-3071.

This year, 44 states have reported more than 160,000 cases of fraudulent EBT card transactions.

Phaleys Lopez, an EBT card user, said being scammed prevented her from being able to buy formula for her infant son.

"I always buy the formula for my son with the EBT," Lopez explained. "That specific Gerber, I can only buy it with the EBT or cash. I ask the father of my son to buy some when I can't."

Hope Lane-Gavin, director of nutrition policy and programs for the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, said victims of EBT card skimming typically have no choice but to turn to food banks to feed their families, and pantries are already struggling to keep up with demand.

"These are people who have applied, have followed the rules, have been approved for the benefit, who then got their card and are doing everything normal," Lane-Gavin emphasized. "Everything that they're supposed to do."

EBT card users who suspect they've been scammed can request replacement benefits within 90 days from the date they were stolen, by either mailing or hand-delivering a signed Job and Family Services form to a local county Job and Family Service office. Gavin added a temporary fix allowing victims of EBT theft to receive replacement benefits will expire on Sept. 30, without additional action by Congress.