What do you think would an identity theft tell you to do if you want to protect yourself from being a victim of identity theft?
I was very fortunate to work as a psychologist for a local prison because I was given the opportunity to speak with inmates on a daily basis (which most people would not be too envious about). I have various “clients” and a handful of them were identity theft criminals. I asked what they think was the best advice that they can give others to protect themselves from identity thieves as them, and the reply was very simple: shred, shred, shred and re-shred every bit of mail and documents that they put in the trash that contains their personal information.
It may sound simple and it really is simple but very few people actually take enough time or effort to perform shredding. It would seem that the identity thieves that I am currently dealing with belongs to the type that are often called, dumpster divers.
And they all tell us one thing: Shred Smart!
According to these criminals, it is not enough that you simply shred your mail but you should also use a cross shredder. Cross shredders cut the paper horizontally and vertically which makes it more difficult for criminals to piece the documents back together. There are dedicated criminals who stitches back your credit card bills and bank account statements if it has been shredded vertically.
Are cross shredders more expensive than ordinary shredders? I canvassed prices of these shredders and I found out that cross shredders are priced just like any other traditional shredders. Prices vary, of course, with brand and size of the shredder. Still, even if cross shredders would cost you a few dollars more, it would still be worth the investment. Just think about the money that you will save if you will never be a victim of identity theft?
Are you aware where your garbage goes when you put them in the trash? It’s not a very unusual question but it is something that we rarely give a second thought. Often, we simply plop the garbage in front of our house and we expect it to be gone at the first light of day. We see garbage heaps and mountains so that’s probably what happen to them. But do you think that your garbage actually makes the expected journey? Your trash may have disappeared but it may not have been because of the garbage man.
Your forgotten garbage may simply be garbage-something that is worth throwing out. However, what you do not realize that people are actually viewing these as treasures and your garbage bins, goldmines. Here they can get your bank statements, pre-approved credit card applications and other bills and utilities or documents that may contain your personal information that they can use to assume your identity and wreak havoc in your life.
Tags: credit card bills, identity theft protection, protection advice