What Documents Should Be Shredded?
- Posted by Bob
- On March 4, 2015
What kind of documents should be shredded before they are sent to the recycling plant? Obviously you will want to hang on to that birth certificate or that unpaid invoice – but what should you do with those check-book carbons, pay stubs and ATM receipts?
Excel Shred offers the following tips and stresses the importance of shredding documents to avoid identify theft. We constantly remind our clients that victims of identity theft will often continue to suffer for a long time, even years after the incident occurred. As long as their information is still out there, someone else will try to access and take advantage of it.
Always shred check carbons and anything that has identifiers on it – such as your name, your bank number, Social Security number, any credit account number, pre-approved credit card offers and any statements with those numbers. Keep in mind that credit card statements may list tax-deductible expenses, charitable gifts or non-reimbursed work-related expenditures, perhaps you should hold on to them until you are perfectly sure they are no longer needed.
ATM receipts and deposit slips should be shredded as soon as they appear on the bank statement. Utility and phone bills may be shredded as soon as they are paid or kept for financial records. They may come in handy when selling or renting property, should tenants want to review recent utility bills.
If you follow these tips, you can avert becoming a victim of identity and information theft. Protect yourself and your clients. Contact Excel Shredding to schedule an appointment today. 514 -507-2112 / 1-855-957-4733