I remember reading about this kind of a thing happening with old copy machines that have been traded in for newer models, and then resold at auction. If somone knows how to retrieve the information that has been copied it is all there, and copiers that have been at a hospital, doctors office,or a police station, can hold some very private information about a person.
Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do to prevent this information from being stolen, unless the company that owns and resells the copier wipes them clean; and this sometimes happens, and often , does not.