With identity theft consistently on the rise, more businesses and consumers have turned to professional shredding services in order to ensure that their information is unrecoverable once destroyed. What may be overlooked however, are the seemingly harmless items that probably never crossed one’s mind as requiring secure destruction. Remaining aware of the sources of potentially revealing information is the first step in keeping your identity safe. Have a look at the below list and make it a priority to include these in your next document purge. You will be glad you did!
Birth Announcements
Adults are not the only ones that fall victim to identity theft. Child identity theft is a rising issue nationwide as well and unfortunately it can have lasting financial implications if it isn’t caught. Interestingly enough, a Javelin Strategy and Research’s 2018 Child Identity Fraud Study discovered there were more than a million instances of child identity theft reported in 2017 alone, which resulted in $2.6 billion of total losses.
Birth announcements can reveal confidential identifying information of young children such as eye and hair colour, gender and birth date. Parents need to remain proactive from the moment they are given their child’s Social Security number, which can take place as early as in the hospital as part of the birth certificate process. With the exciting birth of your child, now is the perfect time to consider investing in a home safe to keep these valuable documents secured.
Used Airline Tickets
Although used, airline tickets can offer up information such as rewards or membership ID’s, names and locations travelled between specified dates; all of which can be used to build a case, opening the door to additional sensitive information.
Luggage Tags
A seemingly trivial piece of info, luggage tags can offer prying eyes juicy contact and address details that could put more of your recycled documents at substantial risk. Always include these in your shred pile once they become obsolete or replaced!
Resumes
According to the Federal Trade Commission, the most common type of identity theft is Employment- or tax-related fraud. In fact, this type of theft makes up 34% of all reported cases. How does this variation of fraud take place? If a criminal uses someone else’s Social Security number and other personal information for the purpose of gaining employment or to file an income tax return, they are committing employment or tax-related fraud. Now, consider the nature and extent of personal information provided on most resumes: almost your entire career and key contact information! Make sure these do not make it into the recycling bin without first having a run through the shredder!
Pet Medical Records
Studies have shown that one of the most common choices for online passwords include pet names. Be sure to shred any documents that are no longer needed and could contain any names of pets in your home! Online security systems company Security.org surveyed 1,012 Americans to determine which generations are unknowingly putting their online safety at risk. One-third (33%) rely on a pet’s name.
Document Destruction of Virginia is dedicated to keeping your sensitive information protected. It’s why we go to great lengths to ensure that our team of shred professionals are trained accordingly and always kept up to date on the latest protocols. If you’re looking for a professional shredding service in Virginia that you can rely on, look no further.
Talk to us today to learn more about how our solutions can help maintain security over your data!