We are all guilty of leaving receipts in our car, but it’s time to stop. The tiny slips of paper from the grocery store or a drive-thru are easy to stuff  and forget in a cup holder. Maybe the receipts fall on the floor or under a seat to collect dust. But leaving them there is dangerous. 

Stop leaving receipts in your car 

Maybe you get a receipt at a gas station or while getting a coffee. Then it falls somewhere in your car to be forgotten about or never seen again. 

While this feels innocent, leaving receipts in your vehicle is actually quite dangerous. According to Ovoko, thieves are waiting to collect your personal information with receipts and other trash that drivers leave behind. 

Supplier Excellence Manager, Kazimieras Urbonas, explains that most people don’t realize that their SUV interior can become a treasure trove of personal information. 

Every receipt shares where you have been, what you buy, and valuable information for criminals to take advantage of, including partially masked credit card numbers. 

Paper trails provide sensitive details. For example, gas station receipts share your travel patterns and preferred routes. Shopping receipts show spending habits. 

Identity thieves can use this information to build detailed profiles for potential targets. Or they will take note of what valuables you buy and where you live to steal them. 

Plus, paper is flammable. During the summer months car interiors get pretty toasty with temperatures exceeding 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Paper will degrade and become combustible at surprisingly low temperatures. 

Around things like phone chargers and cigarette lighters that generate heat, piles of paper can spark right up. Also, the receipt paper releases toxic fumes when heated.