Shredding Service Deters Identity Theft

Identity theft has become a major global problem and a shredding service is one way to deter it. An easy way for thieves to obtain personal information is from paperwork carelessly tossed into trash receptacles. Having this privileged information destroyed is an effective way to curtail this burglary method. Dumpster diving and going through people’s trash is a major source of obtaining private data. Shredders can be purchased for small amounts of personal data and home use but for businesses and large amounts of paperwork, a mobile unit can come take care of the task. How else do the bad guys get a hold of innocent citizens’ identities? Here are some things to think about:

- Mail: Bank and credit card statements that arrive in the mail are prime finds for culprits trying to access information. Tax paperwork and boxes full of new checks are also ripe for the taking out of a mail box. Individuals should use secure, locked mailboxes to deposit this information and consider getting a post office box if their route includes an open rural mail container.

- Copies of credit card receipts: When dining out at a restaurant or purchasing an item at the local store, the old fashioned credit card machine imprinted account number and information on a piece of paper. These were often snagged out of trash cans or by unscrupulous employees. Most of the time, modern swipe machines will eliminate this hazard but not always.

- Computer hackers: Thieves know how to hack into financial accounts via computers. A wise consumer will monitor bank accounts and credit reports to make sure there are no random and unrecognizable withdrawals and entries.

- Social security card numbers: Social security cards should be carefully guarded as they are valuable identity documents. Most commercial establishments only store the last four digits of customers’ or patients’ SSN because they don’t want thefts going on in their facility.

- Posing as someone else: Individuals posing as an official from a bank, the IRS or as a bill collector may coax victims to give privileged information to them over the phone or computer. Phishing schemes even include false emails from disguised thieves trying to get data. Individuals should never give information out to people that they didn’t contact themselves.
If a person does find that their identity has been stolen, he or she needs to take immediate action. A first step to take is to notify banks, credit card companies and the police. It’s important to notify everyone of the fraud that has occurred. Next, it’s crucial that all the tampered accounts be closed. Passwords for new ones should be changed as well. When selecting passwords for computer access, it’s important to choose a variety of codes that contain both numerals and letters, some with capital letters. Common crackable codes make hacking into your paperwork easy.

A shredding service can help citizens keep their private data under wraps. Following some basic cautionary steps including using secure mail sites, not allowing credit cards receipts to be floating around, checking credit report periodically, guarding social security cards, not giving out information to phishers and creating crack-proof passwords will all help protect identity.