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Do you have a
paper shredder? - No?
It would be a good
idea to buy one immediately to protect your
privacy and personal information,
and to prevent identity theft.
Do this by shredding every piece of paper you handle
that contains your name, address, and any account
numbers into tiny pieces that a potential identity
thief has no chance of reassembling.
The papers you need to destroy include your utility
bills, bank statements, junk mail, canceled checks,
and most important - anything that contains
your Social Security Number and even your email
address.
Print-outs you make
while online often include your email address, date,
possibly your credit card and your bank account
numbers. |
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Anything that can
identify you, or any financial account papers that
you have, must be shredded beyond recognition.
Merely depositing such papers into a garbage can is
not good enough. Garbage cans and dumpsters are
treasure troves for "Dumpster Divers" and
identity thieves. Recycle bins are not safe
either. ID thieves will dig through personal recycle
bins and those at community recycling centers, to
get potentially damaging information on you. You can
and should recycle these documents once they have
been shredded, but how should they be shredded?
Look for these features in a shredder.
Shredding Pattern
Early shredders simply took a sheet of paper and cut
it into dozens of long, narrow vertical strips the
length of the page. Although it is difficult to
reassemble these strips, it is not impossible! Buy a
shredder with cross-cut capability , which
cuts these strips horizontally as well as
vertically. Some cross-cut shredders can cut paper
into diamond-shaped pieces which are even more
challenging to reassemble. A shredder with an
intricate cutting pattern is more secure.
Number of Pages That Can Be Shredded
Simultaneously
Shredders are rated by how many pages they can shred
at a time. For example, a single-page shredder
requires you to insert only one page at a time. A
ten-page shredder will shred a stack of ten pages at
a time. A higher page rating means less work for
you. A unit rated for ten pages requires ten
insertions to get rid of a stack of 100 pages, while
a single-page unit requires 100 insertions!
Get the highest rated shredder you can, especially
if you want to shred junk mail without opening it.
As an example, consider a three-page junk mail
letter folded into thirds and inside an envelope.
Three pages folded triple is equivalent to a
thickness of 9 sheets. The two sides of the envelope
add two more sheets, for a total of 11 sheets. If
there is a reply
postcard or other insert, the total rises to at
least 12 sheets.
If you want to shred that junk mail without opening
it and separating the pages, you'll need a shredding
unit that can handle at least 12 pages at once. In
such cases, you will probably want to get a unit
that can handle up to 15 pages, so that your
shredder is not always running at maximum capacity.
They will overheat and shut down temporarily during
excessive usage.
Ability to Shred Credit Cards, Compact Discs, and
Staples
Do you simply cut up old credit and debit cards into
small pieces and toss them in the garbage? These are
very easy for ID thieves to reassemble and use,
especially if the cut-up card is a replacement card
with the same account number as an existing card.
Most modern shredders can shred credit cards with
the same cutting efficiency that they shred paper,
except they handle only one card at a time. Some can
also shred computer CDs and DVDs which might have
sensitive financial or personal information on them.
If you have a large box of papers to shred, buy a
unit that can handle staples. That will greatly
increase your shredding speed.
A personal shredder can greatly reduce or
practically eliminate the chance of identity
theft
due to information you would ordinarily throw in the
trash or into a recycle bin. For maximum security,
buy a shredder that can handle 12-15 pages at a
time; will shred credit cards, CDs and staples; and
cross-cuts the paper into tiny intricate pieces.
These features will make your shredding both faster
and more secure.
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Read
more - Identity Theft Awareness for Parents and
Children
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