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.

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.

Identity Theft – Don’t Fall Victim

Identity Theft is more common than you think. And unfortunately, until it happens to you, you will never know the extent of damage it can cause. But luckily, it is easier than you think to protect yourself from falling victim to this horrible crime.

Proper disposal of your documents is the easiest and most affordable way to protect yourself. By hiring a shredding company to dispose of your documents, it is easier than you think to keep your documents safe.

All paperwork that has personal information, such as tax documents, bank statements, credit card offers and more can be shred and destroyed. At Mobile Record Shredders you can choose how often you have your documents shred and what needs to be shred. You don’t need to remove all of the staples and it is much more time efficient and cost-effective than doing it yourself.

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.

To shred or not to shred? That is the question.

Stop Identity Theft through Shredding.

The Supreme Court has stated that the “expectation of privacy in trash left for collection in an area accessible to public… is unreasonable.” This expectation is exactly why identity theft is so prevalent and why thieves feel the need to dig through your trash to find confidential information.

The solution to this problem is to shred. Shredding allows you to properly dispose of documents containing sensitive information without putting your information in harm's way. You can literally shred anything that has a signature, social security number, medical and legal information, account numbers and more.  See a long list of items to shred below:

.                Shipping Labels

·                Bank and ATM receipts and statements

·                Canceled and void checks

·                Credit card statements, bills, carbon copies, receipts

·                Documents containing maiden names

·                Address labels from junk mail and magazines

·                Birth certificate copies

·                Employee pay stubs

·                Employment records

·                Expired passports and visas

·                Driver’s licenses and items containing driver’s license numbers

·                Legal documents

·                Investment, stock and property transactions

·                Pre-approved credit card applications

·                Anything containing your social security number

·                Transcripts

·                Tax forms

 

Call us today and let us help you stay safe and secure from identity theft.

Confidential Records Taken From Tax Filing Office Found In Dumpster

A man found hundreds of tax documents discarded in a dumpster at a Mansfield industrial office complex which was only ten miles away from the Liberty Tax Alta Mesa office in Fort Worth in which they were filed at.

The man who found the documents, called a woman in Mansfield to let her know that her personal information was found in that dumpster.

The records contained social security numbers, addresses, drivers license numbers, and bank account information.

Authorities are investigating the dumping and theft of the documents according to the owner of the franchise.

Past employees and current are being asked questions about this incident.

According to Liberty Tax officials, all the customers will be contacted about this security breach and identity protection will be given to all of them.

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.

Stay Compliant With The Law

Legal requirements such as HIPPA, FACTA, and Gramm-Leach-Bliley all require companies to properly destroy personal information when it is discarded. At Mobile Record Shredders, we take document destruction seriously and ensure your documents are properly destroyed up to standard with these legal requirements. We are a member of the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) and have an AAA+ Certification, which means we follow standards and procedures outlined by NAID to destroy your documents and keep your company at the highest legal regard. We follow standards and procedures outlined by NAID to continue our certification and make sure your document destruction needs are compliant with not only national document destruction laws, but are up to NAID standards.

If you have questions about how we can keep you compliant, let us know. Or visit the NAID certification requirements and find out what makes us so compliant.

I Scanned My Files-What Do I Do With the Paper Copies?

Organizing your office or home can be a major undertaking. Sifting through old documents and choosing what to keep and what to throw out can take hours or even days.

Once you've sorted through your records and chose what to keep, you may realize that storing boxes loaded with files is an inefficient and unsafe approach to store your documents.

Scanning devices make it simple to digitize your documents and transfer boxes worth of substantial printed material onto a little thumb drive or secure hard drive.

Be that as it may, once you've scanned your records, what do you do with the paper copies? If you continue to store them, the digitizing procedure was pointless, yet tossing them in the garbage isn't the correct answer either.

Why Can't I Toss Old Records in the Trash?

When you put something in the trash and place your garbage can out on the curb, everything in it ends up exposed and unprotected.

When you place records in your trash that contain sensitive data, anybody can go through your trash and find account numbers, passwords, email addresses, telephone numbers, and other private data that will enable them to steal your identity or access your accounts.

What Do I Do With Old Paper Documents?

Rather than leaving your information vulnerable in the trash, consider shredding your records.

Destroying your documents keeps all your information safe, and if you use a shredding service provider they will recycle the paper shreds, which not only protect the environment but also adds an additional layer of security to the process.

What Are My Shredding Options?

There are a few approaches to shredding your records.

Shred Yourself

You always have the choice to shred your documents yourself. You can buy a home or little office shredder and shred your files yourself, but if you have more than a couple sheets of paper, this can be a tedious, time consuming, and messy task.

Personal shredders are slow, rapidly overheat, easily jam up or break down, and require maintenance over time.

Utilize a Shredding Service

Shredding services are fast and secure, and you have a variety of options depending on how much you have to shred.

In the event that you have a few boxes or more than 100 lbs. of paper to shred (figure the amount you need to shred) your best choices are either mobile shredding, which sends a shred truck to you to shred onsite or offsite shredding, which picks up your records to shred them back at our secure facility.

If you just have a couple of pounds of paper to shred, we have drop off locations throughout Southern Colorado that allow you to drop off your records and pay for shredding by the box or bag.

Let Mobile Record Shredders Help Keep Your Information Secure

You get free quotes on shredding services in your neighborhood and then choose the option that best meets your needs.

Call us at (800) 544-5460 or fill out the form this form to get free quotes and find a shredding option that’s affordable, convenient, and secure.

Reserve Your Spot For Free Shredding!

Mobile Record Shredders, Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado, KKTV 11 News, Pueblo Mall, Ent Credit Union, Pueblo Downtown Association, 98.1 KKFM, 98.9 Magic FM, and The Pueblo Chieftain are teaming up to help you protect your identity by shredding your old documents containing personal information.

*Shredding up to 5 standard size copier boxes: Free
$5 for each additional small box
$10 for each additional large box
No large business document shredding, please

To prevent long wait times and manage traffic congestion, event registration is encouraged. Bring your ticket along (either paper or on your phone) to ensure admittance to the event.
Register online at Pueblo Letter Rip Registration Form

Five winners of a $50 Pueblo Mall gift card will be chosen at random from online registrations.

Please remove documents from binders. Separate x-rays, CDs and floppy disks from paper documents. Staples and paper clips are okay to be shredded.

Donations will be accepted for the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado Pueblo Scholarship Fund. Cash, check, and credit cards accepted.

Call 719-389-1087 for more information.

Confidential documents found in a recycling dumpster

It appears that the documents found in the dumpster are linked to a Hillsboro Law Group. Most of the documents were tax returns with social security information on them.

Hundreds of records of confidential legal documents were found in a recycling dumpster in Hillsboro. The documents contained information of emails, delicate customer records, and tax returns with social security numbers on them.

A lady who worked at a nearby business who shared a recycling dumpster with the company found the confidential information. “I was appalled that this information was just sitting there,” said Melissa.

“I took out my recycling and all these law papers were just sitting on top of the boxes,” said Melissa. “This could be a gold mine in the wrong hands.”

According to Melissa most of the documents seemed to be connected with a law group that has an office close by. She said she emailed and called St. Andrew Legal Clinic in Hillsboro but never got a response.

Just days after Melissa found the documents in the dumpster and after she had notified the law office, it was discovered that most of the documents had been removed. However, there were still legal records and receipts still in the open dumpster.

One form titled “Intake Sheet” included the contact information, name of the customer, the person’s recent wage information, estimated retainer and attorney’s fees, along with why the person needed legal assistance.

This man’s information was located and his information was returned to him.

“It’s upsetting to know that all of my personal information is not being disposed of properly,” said Brendan.

Read the rest of the article here.

Confirmed DMV Document tossed in trash

Last week, News10NBC was contacted by a concerned citizen who found stacks of documents in the DMV dumpster behind its Henrietta office. The documents included social security numbers, names, emails, addresses and phone numbers. David Mottshaw also showed us documents which included Homeland Security and Visa information from a Chinese student at the University of Rochester and information on unmarked cars from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

News10NBC searched the dumpsters near the DMV offices in Greece and Irondequoit. In Irondequoit, we found more documents with social security numbers and insurance information.

Today, the Director of the County Office of Public Integrity, David Moore, said in a statement, "while I cannot comment on the nature of our investigations, I can confirm that I have been contacted by the Monroe County Legislature and the Office of Monroe County Clerk regarding the potentially improper handling of documents at local DMV locations. We will now follow Office of Public Integrity (OPI) policy and procedure to determine the appropriate next steps."

Moore recommended that anyone who has used the DMV offices in Monroe County recently should monitor bank statements. Moore also said the Monroe County Clerk's office, which manages the DMV offices, should provide free credit monitoring for any customer that used the DMV in the last 90 days. 

Read the rest of the article here.