Shredding sensitive documents – another precaution to avoid identity theft

Posted by Caitlin on June 19th, 2008

If you are concerned about the risk of identity theft, hopefully you have already invested in an identity theft protection service such as LifeLock or Identity Guard. But if you are really serious about protecting yourself from identity theft, there are more steps you can take. As we reminded you yesterday, you should avoid revealing personal information about yourself on MySpace, Facebook, or other social networking sites. (Or anywhere else on the Internet, for that matter.)

Another important precaution you should take is to shred a any sensitive documents before discarding them. This article at IdentityTheftFixes.com advises readers about how to select the right shredder for your needs. Main considerations in selecting a shredder should be:

• Safety: Some shredders have safety sensors, and some do not. If you and your family enjoy having fingers, buy one that does.
• Confetti cut: Shredders that cross cut or confetti cut are more expensive, but they are much more effective at preventing identity theft than cheaper shredders that cut paper into strips which could easily be taped back together.
• Ability to cut through plastic: Many shredders can now shred CDs and credit cards, which is very useful, since CDs can also contain sensitive information, and unwanted or expired credit cards should always be thoroughly destroyed they are thrown away.
• Price: Shredders can range from $20 to over $1000. IdentityTheftFixes.com recommends that you plan to spend at least $50, since anything cheaper is probably not going to have the quality or longevity that you need.

Once you have a shredder, it will be faster and easier to shred credit card offers and other junk mail. You should also be sure to shred any CDs or DVDs that may contain sensitive or personal information, expired forms of identification such as old drivers licenses or passports, any document with a social security number, credit card number, or other identifying information, old medical records and even documents that may contain sensitive personal information about your children. (It is easy to forget that children can also have their identities stolen – see our Child Identity Theft Protection Guide for more information.)

To learn more about identity theft protection services, visit our identity theft protection service guide.