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Using a shredder is a simple, inexpensive way to protect your personal information and further minimize your chance of becoming a victim of identity theft.
Yes, we live in the digital age, but you still receive plenty of personal information in the mail.
You may still receive bank, mortgage and credit card information. These contain your name, address, account numbers and other personal identifiable information.
Even credit card offers and other seemingly innocent correspondence contains personal information.
Identity thieves use online and offline tactics.
One offline tactic is ‘dumpster diving’ or going through the trash looking for any personal information.
This technique was (and may still be) used by intelligence agencies to collect information on their enemies.
When in doubt, SHRED!
Buy a shredder and make it a practice to ‘shred’ anything that contains ANY identifiable information. Gone are the days of feeding a single page at a time through a shredder that shuts down after 5 minutes due to overheating. With modern day shredders, you can shred a myriad of items.
- 3, 5, 10, even 20 sheets of paper at a time (or more)
- CD’s and DVD’s
- Credit Cards
- Staples
- Paper clibs
For example, you may receive a 10-page letter soliciting you to purchase a financial newsletter. Only the first and last page has your information, so you need only shred those pages.
Final Note: offline identity theft is still alive and well. When in doubt, shred your documents, credit cards, CD’s, DVD’s and anything else that contains personal information.
