Identity theft is where another party misappropriates your identity and/or your sensitive information, such as your Social Security number or financial account numbers, and uses this information to defraud you, other people, and businesses. It is a serious and growing crime in the U.S. According to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates, nine million Americans are victims of identity theft each year. The losses caused by identity theft are tremendous and affect both individuals and business interests.
One important way of combating identity theft is to ensure you keep papers containing your account numbers, Social Security number, or other sensitive personal information out of the hands of identity thieves. Loose or unwanted papers containing your personal information should never be thrown away with your trash. Papers such as these are sought after by identity thieves, who resort to rummaging through trash (“Dumpster Diving”) as a primary means of retrieving information they can use or sell. It is therefore important for people to set aside papers/documents containing personal information for proper destruction via shredding.
In today’s world, a paper shredder is a necessary component of each home or office setting. Why bother with shredding? Routine document-shredding should be one of your regular activities. If you routinely shred documents containing personal information, you will be less apt to accidentally throw these away. Your trash is the one of the most important places for would be identity thieves, and a place where paper-based sources of personal information can be easily scooped-up. Shredding is a key defense against dumpster-divers in order to protect your family, customers, employees, and company from identity theft.
The type of shredder you need for document destruction is either a cross cut or micro cut shredder. There are six paper shredder security levels. A cross cut shredder provides Level 3 Security, which is medium security—adequate for confidential documents. A cross cut shredder shreds a standard sheet of paper into about 399 particles, generally about 1 3/8” x 3/16” in size. A micro cut shredder provides Level 4 Security, which is medium-to-high security—adequate for secret documents. Micro cut shredders are often called “confetti-cut” shredders, and cut a standard sheet of paper into over 3,000 particles, roughly about 4mm x 10mm in size.
The goal in shredding is to make a document unreadable and to create randomness in the shreds so a shredded document cannot be reassembled and the information therein accessed. A micro cut shredder provides a higher level of security because there is more randomness in the shreds, and the tiny, confetti-like particles are nearly impossible to reassemble.
What items should be shredded?
Any documents with personal information, such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, PINs, and signatures.
Documents containing contact information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses.
Financial documents and tax records.
Medical and legal information.
Pre-approved credit card applications.
Utility bills.
Reference: auroracorp-ID Theft Facts:
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