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.

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.

A Breakdown of Our Services

At Mobile Record Shredders, we do not tread lightly on the topic of confidentiality. We have tailored our service offerings to make it easy for you to take part in our document destruction offerings and keep your information confidential. Below is a breakdown of what we can offer you:

One-Time: Bulk Clean-out Shredding Services

On-Going: Regularly Scheduled Shredding Services

Shred Drop Off Locations:

We offer drop off locations in Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Monument, Canon City, Lamar, and La Junta for those that have smaller document destruction needs.

Call us or chat with an online representative today about your shredding needs.

Your Trash is an Identity Thieves Treasure.

Did you know, the minute your trash bin hits the curb, anything in it is legally there for the taking? Most people don’t realize this when they through their credit card statements, or confidential documents in the trash.  According to law, once you place that pail or bag at your curb, you are giving up any expectation of privacy to its contents. This means anyone, looking to find confidential information is able to rifle through your garbage with no questions asked.

What is done with that trash once it leaves your location is an entirely different matter. Identity thieves can commit fraud in multiple ways, basically whatever ultimately makes them money. Almost any identifying data, such as birth dates, social security numbers, and even a mobile phone number can be used to commit identity theft. Identity theft now occurs in as regularly as one in three people within the United States and this number continues to grow.

Proper destruction of sensitive information is the key to stopping this growing epidemic. Luckily with Mobile Record Shredders, this can easily be accomplished. Whether it be dropping off your confidential documents, or requesting a pick up service for your company, we are here to destroy the most sensitive information you have.

Any trash that includes identifying data should be properly destroyed. As you now know, it only takes one identity thief going through your trash to have your confidential information compromised. Even something that seems as small as your name and address can be used against you to commit identity theft.

Shred today! Contact us for more information at 719-544-5460 or live chat with one of our representatives on our website. We are here to help you with your document destruction needs.

Business Trash is Identity Thief and Corporate Espionage Treasure

What is one person’s trash is another person’s treasure -- Especially when it comes to business “trash” disposal. It is absolutely not wise for any business to simply throw away old documents without proper document destruction. Not only based on the environment impact, but in many cases it’s illegal. Federal and state regulations call for the secure destruction of specific confidential information, including social security numbers, medical records, and industry-specific data, just to name a few. Without the proper disposal of these documents companies can get in a slew of trouble and be severely fined.

In a secure shredding program, like the shredding services that Mobile Record Shredders provides, your company can either bring your documents to our shredding facility, or we provide you with a special locked bin that we pick up and shred in our secure document destruction trucks. The paper is shredded beyond any possible reconstruction and is then recycled.

Contact us with your questions about document destruction, what items you should shred, our recycling program and more. Click on the live chat button to speak with someone now.

Security for your company - tips to stay protected!


Did you know, every document has a shelf life? You may have realized some documents need to be disposed of when you no longer need them, but how long is that time frame?

When sorting through boxes or that pile of paper on your desk, don’t keep documents that may be harmful if they were ever stolen, especially if you no longer need them. Examples include tax documents and bank statements. But how do you know what can be pitched?

Here are a few guidelines that will help you decide whether to dispose or not dispose:

Contact us if you are unsure and need advice on what to shred!

NAID Guidelines

As we previously discussed that we are AAA NAID Certified. In accordance with NAID we must be compliant with the following process that supports the needs of organizations around the world.

Note, the information below is cited directly from NAID to ensure we cover everything correctly:

  • FACTA Final Disposal Rule requires the destruction of all consumer information before it is discarded. Covered entities must monitor compliance of any organization contracted to destroy consumer records.
  • The FACTA Red Flags Rule requires audits of data-related vendors with access to personal information of customers.
  • Under HIPAA, covered entities may be subject to civil penalties for misconduct of its business associates that lead to a security breach. Working with a NAID certified vendor reduces the risk.
  • Business associates of covered entities must comply with technical, administrative and physical safeguard requirements under the HIPAA Security Rule. For more information on HIPAA, see "Common misconceptions about HIPAA and data destruction."
  • The media destruction specifications of PCI compliance require the following, all of which NAID certification requires and verifies:

o 9.10.1.a: Verify that hard copy materials are crosscut shredded, incinerated or pulped such that there is reasonable assurance the hard copy materials cannot be reconstructed.

o 9.10.1.b: Examine storage containers used for information to be destroyed to verify the containers are secured. For example, verify that a to-be-shred container has a lock preventing access to its contents.

o 9.10.2: Verify that cardholder data on electronic media is rendered unrecoverable via a secure wipe program in accordance with industry- accepted standards for secure deletion or otherwise physically destroying the media (e.g., degaussing).

When using Mobile Record Shredders, know that your documents are in good hands. For more information contact us today.

No Sorting – Just Shredding

Another question we hear often is, “Do I need to sort paper, and remove staples prior to shredding?”, the answer is no. Not when you use Mobile Record Shredders to shred your documents.

Avoid the time and energy it takes to sort through your documents before shredding. All that is needed is to put your documents into one of our locked containers and we will shred everything that goes into it. No worries about staples, paper clips, binder clips, anything. Our crosscut shredders shed everything with no hassle.

Save time, energy, and effort by hiring us for your shredding needs.

What Type of Material Do You Shed?

 

We have so many people ask us about what exactly can they shred.

The answer is, just about anything! Instead of using conventional strip-cut shredders, like the shredders you purchase for your home office, we use crosscut shredding trucks to take care of your shedding needs. This crosscut technology reduces paper to extremely fine pieces, similar to confetti.

Additionally, the crosscut technology makes the paper so fine, that it is virtually impossible to reconstruct the documents again to avoid identity theft and breeches in confidentiality.

This crosscut process destroys anything from paper, to fabric, plastics, and metals. Wondering what to do with those old CDs and DVDs that you rarely use on your computer anymore? Shred!

For more information on our service, click here or contact us directly.