Safe at Home*

*Source: Identity Theft Resource Center

• Fireproof safes are relatively inexpensive. Check the rating (how long it will survive temperatures over a certain level), make sure there is ample room. Put it in a safe (hidden) place.
• ALL SHREDDERS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL – Use a cross-cut shredder to dispose of documents with personal information. Hire a professional service, if the volume is too great or you need locking bins at your office. Demand that shredding be done on-site, so you can watch the files being destroyed.
• Shred all hard drives – including copy machines, fax machines, scanners, etc. These devices have hard drives and information loss is prevalent with external memory.
• Limit the use of discs, external drives and flash drives as back-up or machine-jumping memory. There is too much data on too small a device to monitor. Computer viruses and malware have been found on brand new flash drives. Limit the instance of external devices connecting to your equipment.
• Place outgoing mail in collection boxes or the U.S. Post Office
• Use firewall software to protect computer information. Keep virus and spyware software programs updated.
• Reduce the number of preapproved credit card offers you receive: 888-5OPT-OUT
• Order your free annual credit reports on-line at:annualcreditreport.com or by calling (877) 322-8228