Keeping your identity safe should be a top priority of a great many people all throughout the country. After all, identity theft in the United States has been on the rise, with more than 16.5 million people suffering from being victims of it over the course of just one single year (at least according to data that was gathered for the year of 2017). Unfortunately, many people are simply just not aware of the risk – in fact, nearly one quarter of all victims of identity fraud do not even realize that identity fraud has happened to them and actually eventually discover that they have been victims of such a thing by accident. Of course, the longer that identity fraud continues on for, the more damage is likely to have been done.

And being aware of identity fraud is more essential than ever thanks to the fact that identity fraud can actually occur in a number of different ways. For instance, paper documents are actually still one of the leading ways in which identities are stolen. From the average person to the business that still uses a paper filing system, the importance of properly disposing of paper documents through secure paper shredding (through the use of a secure paper shredder) is hugely important. Unfortunately, nearly one third of all people in this country do not actually conduct secure paper shredding as frequently as they should be.

Fortunately, secure paper shredding is typically something that can be implemented with relative ease, as secure paper shredders come in all shapes and sizes – many of which are ideal for the typical home. Of course, such secure paper shredding is likely to be even more important in the typical work environment, where something like an industrial shredder is more likely to be necessary. High capacity paper shredders might also be in use, depending on the office space that is in question. These commercial paper shredders can handle a high volume of paper documents, something that is likely to be hugely essential indeed. After all, maintaining a protocol of secure paper shredding is hugely important – and is something that can be essential for maintaining a steady customer base, as customers of course want to feel like their information is very safe with the companies that they give it to. In fact, nearly half of all customers in this country alone (around 40% of them, to be just a bit more exact) have actually stated that they would want to stop doing business with any company altogether, should they find that a breach in security occurred – even if this breach of security had happened at a previous date. Fortunately, the act of secure paper shredding and this secure paper shredding being done on a regular basis can greatly help to reduce the risk of such a security breach, thus insuring that many of the customers in question stay loyal over the course of time.

Of course, there are other means that must be taken to stay safe from identity theft, though secure paper shredding is certainly not something to ever be neglected in regards to this safety. But with a huge uptick in regular internet usage seen over the course of the last few years, it has become more essential than ever to stay safe while using various online platforms. A big way to do this is to monitor and be careful of the information that you are giving away on these online platforms. Already, many people are doing this, as up to half of all internet users here in the United States have stated that they avoid certain things online for fear of their overall security. For many others, however, the feeling of infallibility on various online platforms is all too high. We should all be taking steps to avoid any of the risks that might face us when we go online and become a part of that world, as more of us are doing on a more and more frequent basis.

At the end of the day, taking steps towards protecting your identity is hugely important for all people in this country and well beyond it too.