How to buy a shredder Things to Consider Identity Precautions Identity Theft
SHREDDING FOR IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION
To Shred Or Not to Shred . . .
Old records may seem harmless enough; for example, closed credit cards and bank accounts. But an ambitious identity thief can use the bits and pieces of this old information to assemble a profile of your current identity. If you are unsure that a document needs to be shredded - shred it!
Shred This Top 20
- Obsolete financial records, including loan
- Pre-approved credit card applications
- Personal medical records or physician statements
- Correspondence and tax preparation worksheets
- Receipts for purchases
- Bank statements
- ATM receipts
- Credit card statements
- Cancelled checks
- Mail and old records
- Utility bills
- Credit Card Charges
- Insurance forms
- Investment transactions
- Expired credit cards
- Mailing labels from magazines
- Pay stubs
- Old driver's licenses or passports
- Expired insurance membership cards
- Any documents that contain social security number, birth dates, your mother's maiden name and any account numbers or online passwords
ID Theft Target
A peak season for ID thieves is tax time. Old tax records and other expired documents are being discarded. Know what shredder you need to securely destroy these documents.
Choosing a Shredder
There are many elements that must be evaluated before making a shredder purchase. For example, how many people will use this shredder? How much will be shredded each day? Infrequent shredding by one user can be handled by a desk side shredder. However, a professional shredder is the best investment for offices with up to 5 users. A commercial shredder is the best choice when shredding needs exceed 10 or more users.
Once the shredder category is determined, it's time to select the proper security level. Shredder cut size is important and depends on the confidentiality of the information being destroyed: the smaller the cut, the higher the security level. If highly confidential documents are frequently shredded, choose Cross-Cut or smaller. A smaller cut size also means you empty the bin less frequently.
The final consideration when purchasing a shredder is the additional features that make the job easier and more productive. There are several innovative technologies available in today's shredder market that make shredding faster, easier, and safer.
These features are as follows:
JAM PREVENTION
Prevent, or reduce incidences of paper jamming.
SAFETY
Prevent, or reduce incidences of paper jamming.
AUTOMATIC OILING
Automatically lubricates cutters to enhance performance and extend shredder life.
ENERGY SAVINGS
Optimizes shredder efficiency to reduce energy costs.
SHREDDING BEST PRACTICES
- A proactive approach is vital in office identity security, particularly when it comes to paper documents, which can easily be overlooked when you're focusing on digital security measures. Paper applications filled out by employees, e-mail attachments that have been printed out, and even handwritten notes about your competition all require protection.
- Use a professional or commercial cross-cut shredder, depending on the size of your office, for optimum shredding performance.
- Position shredders near copiers/printers for quick and easy shredding of documents that might be left out on the paper tray.
- Maintain strict requirements for shredding all customer printed materials the moment they are no longer needed. Printed customer documentation should be shredded regardless of the nature of the content. This prevents time wasted reviewing documents for personal information or personal content being overlooked.
- Shred all printed employee documentation once it is no longer needed. The same rules for customers, applies to employees. Diligent shredding prevents any personal information about employees from being misplaced.
- Shred all printed materials that might relate to your company's strategies or practices. Once marketing, sales or financial data is no longer needed it should be shredded to prevent it from ending up in the hands of the competition.
- Make employees aware of shredding practices and how the shredders are used so they will feel comfortable using them.
THIS INFORMATION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UNIVERSAL BUSINESS SUPPLIES.
WE CARE ABOUT YOUR SAFETY AND PEACE OF MIND.
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