Mobile Record Shredders is now Shred America Colorado!

Mobile Record Shredders, a Pueblo, Colorado area-based information destruction company, is pleased to announce that they have merged with Shred America, LLC to form Shred America Colorado. After owning and operating Mobile Record Shredders for 20 years, Joe O’Brien, Lawrence and Julia Anaya, conducted a search for a growing independently owned company that would uphold the legacy of customer service and quality standards of secure information destruction; and also take great care of the team assembled at Mobile Record Shredders and they could not be happier with the outcome:

“We were looking for a partner who could take us to new levels of success while keeping our two main goals intact- great customer service provided by a highly trained and dedicated staff. I can’t think of anyone better than Shred America to keep that legacy going strong” 

- Joe O'Brien, Co-Owner of Mobile Record Shredders

Shred America is a veteran owned, industry leading information destruction company with multiple locations in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Kansas, and Texas. They also provide national coverage through its own Shred America Partner Network. The company has grown from 1 truck to 30 trucks in 5 short years and has current clients in over 48 states. They were recently recognized by Inc Magazine as the 217th fastest growing privately held company in the country and #1 is the state of SC, and the fastest growing shredding company in the U.S. 

 “I have known Joe, Julie and Lawrence for 20 years and they are wonderful people. I have also been fortunate enough to get to know the amazing team they have assembled over the years. Mobile Record Shredders is one of the best information destruction companies not only in Colorado but in the entire country. We are very proud and excited that the ownership team and the amazing staff is now part of the Shred America family and will continue to be involved in Shred America Colorado!”

- Ray Barry, Partner of Shred America

“I am thrilled to announce our recent acquisition of Mobile Records Shredders! This integration embodies our commitment to revolutionizing the way businesses and individuals safeguard their sensitive information. Our excitement stems from the limitless potential this partnership unlocks. 

While our footprint expands, one thing remains unwavering; our dedication to unparalleled customer service. To our valued clients in Colorado and beyond, I want to assure you that the high level of service you’ve come to expect will not only be maintained, but elevated. Your trust is the cornerstone of our success, and as we embrace this new chapter, our focus on security, efficiency, and personal attention will continue to be the bedrock of our client relationships. 

Thank you for your ongoing support. Together, we are not only shredding documents; we are redefining industry standards.” 

- Ryan Richard, Chief Executive Officer of Shred America

For more information, please contact Ray Barry (ray@shredamerica.com) or Ryan Richard (ryan@shredamerica.com).

Child Identity Theft: How to Avoid It

Adults are not the only victims of fraud. In the United States, child identity theft is a major issue. According to Javelin Strategy & Research's 2022 Child Identity Fraud Study, 915,000 American children were victims of identity fraud between July 2021 and July 2022, costing a single household an average of $1,128. However, the figures are likely to be higher because kid identity theft is frequently underreported. Identity thieves and scammers prey on youngsters since their credit history is a blank slate, and most of the time, the theft is uncovered when the child grows up and applies for credit as a young adult.

Here are some pointers to help safeguard children against identity theft:

Learn more about how Mobile Record Shredders® secure document destruction services can help you protect your child's identity.

What Should You Shred During Tax Season: We Answer Here

Tax season is a stressful and complicated time. It can be confusing to know which documents to keep, dispose of, or shred. Properly disposing of private information is important to prevent identity theft.

To help you understand document protection and destruction basics for tax season, we've answered some frequently-asked questions about tax documents.

What is the duration for which I should retain my tax records?

As per the guidance of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States, it is advisable to keep tax records for a period of three to seven years, based on your individual circumstances.

What is the time period for which I should keep my pay stubs?

If you get pay stubs for your salary, you may dispose of them by the end of the year, but it is advisable to keep them until you obtain and compare them with the W-2 form received from your employer.

When can I shred tax documents?

It is generally recommended that you keep tax documents for at least three years, but some documents should be kept for up to seven years. However, if you are certain that you no longer need the tax documents, you can shred them. It's important to ensure that you are not getting rid of any essential documents that you might need in the future.

How long do I keep Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) statements?

Keeping your IRA statements until the year-end statement arrives is important to ensure that you have a complete record of your account activity. It's also a good idea to keep year-end statements for six years for tax purposes, as the IRS may request them as proof of your contributions or withdrawals.

Filing and Shredding

What tax documents should I keep?

Some of the documents that you need to retain for future reference after submitting your taxes are:

  • Any 'proof' that backs up an income or credit item on the tax return (receipts, bank and credit card statements, canceled checks, and other evidence of payment).
  • Claims for deductions (support payments, charitable contributions, mortgage interest payments, retirement plan contributions, etc.)
  • Records related to enhancements made to owned property.
  • A duplicate of the tax return (it can assist in preparing future tax returns)
  • Titles of vehicles and property deeds
  • Information regarding pension plans and estate planning
  • Vital records such as birth and death certificates, citizenship documents, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, Social Security numbers, and military discharge documents.

Should I shred receipts?

It depends on the type of bill and how long you need to keep it for record-keeping purposes. Generally, bills related to taxes, insurance, and major purchases should be kept for several years, while bills for everyday expenses can be discarded after a few months. However, to protect your personal information, it's always a good idea to shred any bills that contain sensitive information such as your social security number or account numbers.

What personal documents should I shred after filing my taxes?

Some documents that you can shred after filing your taxes are:

  • Records that have exceeded the suggested storage time
  • Records that have been converted into digital copies
  • Documents that have become of no use (ATM receipts, sales receipts, credit offers, expired warranties, and insurance papers)
  • Documents that can be accessed online (paid credit card statements, bank statements, utility bills)
  • Records associated with fully paid loans
  • Bits of paper and sticky notes that contain private information, such as passwords.

Other Questions

How should I dispose of tax returns?

It's crucial to avoid disposing of sensitive files in the trash can or recycling bin. Identity burglars can reconstruct personal data discovered in the garbage, irrespective of whether you tear the paper by hand. To safeguard your privacy and avert identity theft, one of the most effective methods is to shred all unnecessary tax returns.

How can I find my old tax returns?

You can request a copy of your old tax returns from the IRS by filling out Form 4506. You can also access your tax transcripts online through the IRS website or by calling the IRS.

Protect Your Private Information

Learn more about how Mobile Record Shredders® can help you protect your tax-related documents. Contact us for a free quote.

Shredding Credit Card Offers Could Save Your Identity

You get them in the mail, daily. Offers to open a new credit card with some sort of amazing deal attached. But what do you do with the gobs of credit card offers that you receive each and every time you open your mailbox?
With the abundance of credit card offers the average American receives regularly, it’s not secret that if they get into the wrong hands, your identity could be compromised. Identity thieves can easily use the information provided in the offer and open a credit card account under your name.

Proper shredding of these documents could make such mishap easily avoidable. In addition to credit card offers, any records that include social security numbers, sensitive account information, PIN numbers, passwords, and even signatures could put you at risk.

At Mobile Record Shredders we know the risks. Your confidentiality is the most important concern we have. We have a system in place to help you privately and securely dispose of these documents. Contact us today for more information about how we can help keep you safe and your documents secure.

NAID - The Shredding Industry’s Certificate of Choice

Whenever you shred, you should receive a document known as the Certificate of Destruction which shows proof of document destruction.  While these these certificates are used by virtually all shredding companies, there are security restrictions that make sure the right practices are in place.

Many shredding clients mistakenly take this certificate as proof that they are not liable for the documents that are being destroyed. Unfortunately, this assumption is incorrect. Even an itemized certificate, is impossible for the shredding contractor to know for sure whether each and every employee record for that time period was included in the documents he was given.

A standard clause in contracts for all NAID members (National Association for Information Destruction, which every reputable shredding company should be a member of) clearly states that itemized lists of materials submitted for destruction are not proof that such documents were actually included in the materials submitted. This clause protects the shredding company, but it also protects the consumer, because it is eliminating any false notions that the certificate is in itself proof that particular documents were destroyed.

What does all of this mean? Do Certificate of Destructions provide any protection to the consumer? Actually, they are very important documents that protect both the contractor and the consumer, by stating upfront what is and what is not a responsibility of the shredding company. And ultimately, it all leads back to this: choosing a reliable, reputable shredding company provides you not only with excellent service, but peace of mind as well.

Mobile Record Shredders is NAID Certified and holds the highest of standards when it comes to confidentiality. Our Certificate of Destruction is up to par with NAID standards and helps you stay safe.

Top 8 Reasons to Shred your Documents

Paper shredding and document destruction is very important this day and age. There are serious dangers to not properly disposing of your documents in a secure fashion. The following is a list of reasons why you should shred your confidential documents.

1. Identity Theft:
According to a recent article written by MSN, identity theft affects 11 million people a year, at a cost of $54 billion. In order to avoid becoming a statistic shredding is imperative, and hiring a shredding service, like Mobile Record Shredders will help you dispose of your confidential documents safely and securely.

2. Old Tax Returns:
Most people save their tax returns in the chance that they get audited. After three years of returns you are free to throw them away. Tax information has confidential information included on it and after three years can be adequately disposed of.

3. Old Photo IDs:
If you like to save your IDs, such as college IDs, security badges from old employers or even old state IDs, consider using a document destruction service to shred them. While photo IDs alone aren’t enough to steal your identity, the information included on the ID could be used against you in a larger scheme.

4. Bank Statements:
Any documents that include bank account numbers should be properly disposed of and shredded. This includes paper bank statements, old bank statements, and anything with your personal or company banking information included on it.

5. Credit Card Offers:
When you receive generic bank offers in the mail, including credit card offers, or new account offers, and you are not planning to take the bank up on their offer, you should dispose of the offers right away. The priority is to make sure identity thieves do not open new cards in your name.

6. Canceled or Void Checks:
Even if you write “void” on a check, it doesn’t mean the information on cannot be used against you. The bank routing number and account numbers listed on the check are just as easy to steal even if it says void. Make sure to shred all void or canceled checks upon cancelation to avoid any problems with identity thieves.

7. Pay Stubs:
At first glance, pay stubs seem harmless, but they do contain critical information that can be used by an identity thief. Some pay stubs include financial institution information and account information, Make sure to dispose of them properly.

8. Convenience Checks:
Have you ever received one of those blank checks from your credit card company, which you can use to borrow against your credit line? Thos are called convenience checks. If these checks end up in the wrong hands you could obviously be in trouble. Make sure to properly dispose of these checks so the information stays safe against identity thieves.

Shredding documents is not only for large companies with something to hide, average people have documents at home that include information that identity thefts pray on, including documents that include social security numbers and bank information. Make sure these documents are shredded properly. Mobile Record Shredders is here to help. Visit our website, for more information about document destruction with Mobile Record Shredders.

Old Tax Forms Found in Open Dumpster

Multiple old tax returns, having personal information, including Social Security numbers, were found inside a Fremont dumpster.

The paper government forms were inside the open dumpster for a few days, as indicated by witnesses, and they all contained personal information for anybody to effortlessly take.

The dumpster is situated in a parking garage off Grimmer Boulevard in Fremont, where a close-by affirmed CPA practices,

"It's disturbing," said Robert Petesch, a Newark occupant whose documents were inside the dumpster. "I thought it would have been destroyed. Our names, our Social Security number, my employer, money related information. This is a major breach of my personal security."

The tax forms were prepared by Ed Robinson, a nearby CPA. When he was questioned about the matter, Robinson said he didn't know they should have been shredded.

"I thought they would take it and burn it," he said. "I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry."

A couple of hours after the fact, Robinson, who is resigning, put a bolt on the dumpster. In the meantime, one of his customers was so worried about the reports that he brought matters into his own hands, he contacted an organization to have them pick up the records and shred them.

Petesch was alleviated to have his old tax forms in his hands. "I will shred this," he said.

Robinson told his customer he will pay for the shredding.

The California Society of CPAs asks all duty preparers to shred any tax forms they are not keeping.

To learn more about how Mobile Record Shredders can protect your documents and hard drives, please contact us to get a free quote and security risk assessment.

Shoppers Beware of the Amazon.com scam this Christmas Season

Are you doing your Christmas shopping online this year? And are you doing it through the ever-popular website Amazon.com? Then you need to be aware of this scam going on this holiday season.

There will be an email sent to the customer from the scammer that appears to be from Amazon.com, it will say that an order made previously cannot be shipped. The email states that there was an issue with the order and tells them that they cannot access their account or order anything else with Amazon until they verify their personal information.

Inside of the email is a "click here" link that takes the customer to an authentic-looking Amazon web page to verify their name, address and credit card information for their account. Once the information has been entered and the customer hits the "save and continue" button, they will be rerouted to the actual Amazon website.

Which then leads to the question... how do you know if an Amazon email is real or fake?

In the subject line of the scam email, it will say, "Your Amazon.com order cannot be shipped." The "from" line in the email will show an Internet Service Provider other than @amazon.com, then you will know it is not from Amazon.

You should never click on the link of an email like this from Amazon or any other online retailer.

Officials said that if a customer recently ordered from Amazon and feels concerned about missing an authentic email from Amazon, they should log into Amazon.com and check under "Your Orders" to see if the email’s details match any of the order information. If the information doesn’t match, then the email is a scam.

Taking Facebook Quizzes Could Put You at Risk for Identity Theft

From phishing schemes to a thief pilfering your passport, there are plenty of ways to fall victim to identity theft. And now, participating in Facebook quizzes is one of them. As ABC News reports, the seemingly harmless surveys that populate your feed could wind up providing unscrupulous hackers with the answers to your online security questions.

Popular Facebook quizzes often ask users to answer a series of shareable personal questions, ranging from the name of their pet to their birth city. Some people see them as a fun way to bond with friends or a way to make new ones. But as one local police department in Massachusetts recently noted on Facebook, many of these queries are similar—if not identical—to security questions used by banks and other institutions.

"Please be aware of some of the posts you comment on," the Sutton Police Department in Massachusetts wrote in a cautionary message. "The posts that ask what was your first-grade teacher, who was your childhood best friend, your first car, the place you [were] born, your favorite place, your first pet, where did you go on your first flight … Those are the same questions asked when setting up accounts as security questions. You are giving out the answers to your security questions without realizing it."

Hackers can use these questions to build a profile and hack into your accounts or open lines of credit, the department said. They could also trick you into clicking on malicious links.

Experts say it's OK to take part in a Facebook quiz, but you should never reveal certain personal facts. Take quizzes only from respected websites, and always carefully vet ones that ask for your email address to access the poll or quiz. And while you're at it, consider steering clear of viral memes, like this one from 2017, which asked Facebook users to name memorable concerts (yet another common security question).

If a data breach ever happens within your company find out how our CSR Readiness Program could benefit you.

To learn more about how Mobile Record Shredders can protect your documents and hard drives, please contact us to get a free quote and security risk assessment.

The Purpose of a NAID Certification

 

NAID, the National Association for Information Destruction is a voluntary program, allowing shredding service providers to become AAA certified and fall into an elite category of document destruction services. With this certification, NAID members will be subject to both scheduled and unannounced audits, to ensure they are using best practices in document destruction including “mobile and/or plant-based operations in paper or printed media, micro media, computer hard drive destruction, and/or computer hard drive sanitization.”

The rigorous process helps companies around the world to set the standard on document destruction and abide by laws and regulations protecting the proper disposal of confidential information

Each NAID member must operate under the strict guidelines offered and pass the audit with flying colors to become certified. Make sure your document destruction and professional shredding service are NAID certified. For more information on the NAID Certification, click here.

Always know, Mobile Record Shredders have a AAA NAID Certification. Your documents are in good hands with us.