You may wonder why so many businesses and offices spend a lot time shredding documents. It is not just to keep the interns busy, there are important reasons why people shred paper, mostly to protect important information. If you have important documents in your home that you no longer need, consider shredding them. Read below to learn why it is incredibly imperative to do so.
- Prevent Identity Theft
On many important documents, there is personal information that could be detrimental to your assets if it gets in the wrong hands. By shredding documents, you are ensuring the information is dispersed to a point where it cannot be put back together or made sense of. You do not want your personal information floating around in a trash bin — anyone could pick that up and learn your name, address, birthday, or even social security number.
Identity thieves thrive off of that type of information. You may not need that old bill anymore, but think twice before you put it in the recycle bin. You need to shred it to protect your identity. Most people do not consider that when they recycle waste paper; once you toss that document away, it becomes easily accessible to many people. - Protect Sensitive Information
Think of all the sensitive and private information that comes to us through the mail: hospital bills and money and bank information are just a few examples. When information is personal in nature, confidential shredding is your best option to ensure no others have access to it. All the mail that comes in to your home should be shredded if you no longer have need for it.
If you plan to shred documents primarily in your home, there are some convenient paper shredding options that are compact and lightweight. You do not need a big machine. Some work by simply attaching a mechanism over a trash can and shredding documents directly into a receptacle. - It’s the Law
Did you know there are laws that require business owners to shred documents? For the protection and safety of employees and customers, there are federal regulations to ensure secure document destruction is occurring. There may be legal penalties if you do not comply with paper shredding laws. As a business owner, it is your duty to protect that information as it was your own. If ever you are unsure that you are complying with paper shredding regulations, you can always hire a paper shredding company to get the job done quickly and efficiently.
Don’t neglect to protect your information. Start shredding your important documents today.