There’s a reason for document shredding, and it’s mainly to be sure that all private data isn’t released to multiple parties. When documents are shredded, personal information can remain private and the risk of identity theft can be kept to a minimum. Whether shredding your documents in the convenience of a home or public place, there are some suggestions you can take to best ensure that your your information doesn’t get into the wrong hands even when it is shredded into pieces!
Tips for Data Destruction
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What You Should Be Shredding
A general rule of thumb is to shred anything with your name on it that comes in the mail, especially if it has your address, social security, license plate number, date of birth, etc. It’s also smart to properly dispose of labeled prescription pill bottles with your name and date of birth on them. Shredding old tax information, bank statements, and pay-stubs that are older than three years is wise to minimize the chance of identity fraud.
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Additional Documents to Shred
Other documents for shredding can include credit card statements, bills, receipts, and insurance policies. Only keep these (up to two years) if you can’t view them online. Otherwise, get rid of them!
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Have A Document Shredding Party!
What could be more exciting than having your whole office in so you can shred a bunch of documents with personal information on them? Oh wait, let’s take a moment to think…Well, regardless, it is a good way to gather everyone up for some team bonding and get rid of some personal documents all at once in a safe, timely manner.
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Put An End to the Paper
It’s 2016 and it’s about time to go mobile. There’s virtually — no pun intended — no need for you to have a hard copy of everything. Almost every bank, cable, electric, phone, and other type of company has an online account set up with an option for e-statements. So, you don’t have an excuse to be receiving printed statements in the mail.
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Bonfire
Have you ever heard about how it all went up in smoke and flames? It doesn’t have to be like that! Ask your friends and family over for a night of fun and fellowship for a bonfire. Just be sure that you have already taken the measures of shredding documents and placed the remaining pieces under the fire pit before your guests arrive. This way, your personal data will be ready to go and can be burnt to crisp as the guests as entering for a night of fun.
When you’re shredding your documents, you just want to be extremely careful because identity theft is a huge pressing issue not just in the country but in the world. People are running frantically around trying to steal personal information from others for their own personal gain. The one main point to remember is that you can protect yourself by guarding your own personal information and destroying all your own information when you no longer need it.
