EcoShredding Blog

How to prevent identity theft

identity theft, shred paper filesDid you know that 10% of Americans have had their identities stolen, and on average, each of those individuals lost around $5,000?!

Identity theft is a form of fraud or cheating of another person’s identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person’s identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person’s name.

This is a major issue in today’s society because there are so many ways it can happen. Some of the most common methods for stealing someone’s identity include retrieving personal data from electronics, stealing debit/credit/ID cards, and yes, Dumpster diving.

Even in today’s highly digital world, a large number of identities are compromised by documents that are disposed of improperly. Consider how much of your sensitive information is out there in files at doctors’ offices, former employers, banks, etc. Now consider how much information your company keeps filed away.

Many businesses are beginning to securely store files online and eliminating or drastically decreasing the number of paper files. Identity theft is the No. 1 reason it is so important to destroy sensitive documents.

In Georgia, the state enacted a privacy law in 2002 that subjects businesses to potential fines of up to $10,000 for improper handling of confidential client information.

That’s where we come in. At EcoShredding, not only will we affordably destroy your sensitive documents on-site, we’ll even recycle the remnants afterward. Don’t take chances with sensitive documents lying around your office. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to safeguard the privacy of your employees, your clients and, of course, your own personal information.

Every business has information that requires destruction, and you should absolutely make sure the following documents are shredded:

  • Bank Documents
  • Tax Records
  • Legal Documents
  • Credit Card Numbers
  • Medical Records
  • Canceled Checks
  • Telephone Numbers
  • Contracts
  • Credit Card Statements
  • Personnel Files
  • Account Records
  • Training Information
  • Mail Solicitations
  • Payroll Records

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