Used consoles pose identity theft risk

Ever traded in a console at an electronics store? If you've been playing games for more than a few years, probably: there's no easier way to shift outdated console hardware. But if you forgot to wipe out its hard drive or internal memory before handing it over, you might have accidentally exposed your personal information to its eventual purchaser.

So says gaming blog Kotaku, which quotes a source at a facility that handled a job lot of used Xbox 360s and Playstation 3s they bought from now-defunct electronics chain Circuit City. According to Kotaku's source, a "large quantity" of the hundreds of machines they handled still contained personal details from the console's original owner. Details like friends lists, photos, home movies, and, yes, credit card numbers.

As Kotaku puts it, "While, yes, in the first instance these people should have been more aware of their data, it was a [bad] move on Circuit City's part to not erase the data before selling it on to a third party."

So although by now you might be accustomed to wiping out cellphone memory, digital camera cards, or laptop hard drives when you dispose of them, don't forget to do the same for your consoles. Here's how to do it on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii.

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