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Keep Accountant happy and Thieves out
Tuesday, December 22, 2015 3:45
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http://robertsiciliano.com/
Are you a shredder? I hope so. No identity thief on this planet is going to want to attempt to reconstruct cross-shredded documents.
So what, then, should you make a habit of shredding?
- All financial documents and information, including financial information you’ve jotted on a Post-it note.
- Credit card receipts unless you want to file these away for end-of-month calculations, but ultimately, you have your monthly statements so you will not have use for them anyways.
- Old property tax statements (keep the most current one). But any other tax documents you should retain.
- Voided checks.
- Most things with your Social Security number on it that aren’t tax related.
- Any other piece of paper that has your or a family member’s personal information on it, including envelopes with your address. Never assume “that’s not enough” for a skilled identity thief to use.
- Ask your accountant what they think.
Now, what kind of shredder should you get for your home or office? There are all kinds of makes and models out there.
- Do not buy a “strip” shredder that simply slices thin strips in one direction. Identity thieves will actually take the time to reconstruct these.
- Buy a “cross-cut” shredder. The pieces are sliced and diced too small for an identity thief to want to struggle to tape back together.
- We can go one step further, in case you are wondering if anyone would actually take the time to lay out all those cross-cut fragments and reassemble them: Buy a micro-cut device. The pieces, as the name suggests, are tiny.
- Read the features for that micro-shredder, as some models are more heavy-duty than others.
- You may not want to purchase a machine online; at least you will want to see the various makes and models in person first.
- But if you can’t locate the type of shredder that you’d like from a brick-and-mortar retailer, then of course, there are plenty online to choose from.
So get yourself a shredder on your next shopping trip; you will be so glad you did.
Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to BestIDTheftCompanys.com discussing identity theft prevention.
Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen.
Source: http://robertsiciliano.com/blog/2015/12/18/keep-accountant-happy-and-thieves-out/
