Shred Away!
Sometimes, I just fly through the AARP Bulletin, but this time, the article struck a chord. They were talking about identity theft, and what you should shred. We have a shredder, and ever since our local police talked about people stealing mail just to get my credit card offers, we have been shredding more.
I actually started burning mail years ago, after an employee of one of our customers (a newspaper no less) had her purse “snatched”. Even though she was a newspaper reporter, with access to all kinds of “where to go to stop this” information, It took her over six months to get her identity protected again. She had to fight with banks to get her money back and her good credit rating.
Her article pointed out how easy it was for someone, once they had some information about you (and your credit cards), they could drain your bank accounts quickly. Even apply for change of address on existing accounts and open new accounts.
At any rate, the AARP blurb left little that you should not shred. The bad guys are everywhere, so shred anything that includes “your birth date, signature, account numbers, passwords, PINS or Social Security number.” The list goes on…deposit slips, credit card receipts (after you get your monthly statement), used airline tickets, old medical bills, those “pre-approved credit card apps and canceled checks you don’t need for tax purposes.
Quite a list, but rather safe than sorry. Seems that just throwing stuff away does not work (there are “garbage divers”). And once the bad guys have your information, it will be a while before you realize you have been had.