Avoid Identity Theft - Hire Shredding Professionals

Identity theft is an extremely scary crime and continues to grow in popularity among thieves. It not only robs its victims their credit information but can rob you of your name. As scary as it is, it is easier to protect yourself than you think - Shred!

All paperwork that has personal information, whether it is personal bank statements or HR specific documents, documents of a certain age or confidentiality level should be shredded. You can choose how often a professional shredding service is needed and can be as little as yearly, or as much as daily shredding. Our service is available, as you need it. Any documents with identifying data, including CDs, zip drives, computer hard drives and more should be properly disposed of. At Mobile Record Shredders we offer electronic document destruction services as well.

The safest, easiest and more often times than not, most affordable way to protect yourself from having your identity stolen, is through shredding your documents. By hiring a confidential shredding company, it can be easy to dispose of the documents identity thieves are looking for when preying on their victims. The task of shredding documents on your own can be cumbersome and time consuming, but hiring a confidential shredding service is a great alternative for both businesses and individuals alike.

New Identity Theft Bill Would Limit the Use of Social Security Numbers

We know the harms of identity theft and the harm it can cause to your life if your social security number is exposed. But according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, a new bill was introduced to the senate to reduce the threat.

“The Identity Theft and Tax Fraud Prevention Act of 2015, introduced this past March by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL, includes some dramatic steps that are designed to minimize the threat to consumers. One of the very first items that can help protect individuals from losing their information in data breaches (either intentional or accidental) is to limit the uses of the Social Security number, specifically in the healthcare system.

Use of the SSN as a convenient means of identifying people in large systems of records has increased over the years and its expanded use appears to be an enduring trend… Generally, there are no restrictions in federal law precluding the use of the SSN by the private sector, so businesses may ask individuals for an SSN whenever they wish (Streckewald 2006),” explained Puckett in a document for the Social Security Administration.

While it’s not illegal for an agency or a place of business to request your Social Security number, it’s also not required that you provide it. You don’t have any legal recourse, though, if a business like a doctor’s office refuses to treat you if you don’t provide it. What is more unfortunate about the use of SSNs as an identifier is the fact that many places will request it as standard procedure without even really knowing why they’re asking for it. It’s as if we’re so accustomed to handing it over on a form or during a registration process that we do it without even thinking about it.

The bill, which has garnered a lot of support from lawmakers, would eventually halt the practice of using your Social Security number in healthcare settings. This would be good news for consumers in that a number of hacking events and internal data breaches have occurred through healthcare and insurance offices, like the recent Anthem Healthcare breach. The bill would also increase the penalties for certain identity theft practices, like tax refund fraud or distributing stolen personal data. Finally, the bill does a lot to upgrade the current IRS practices of reporting and correcting tax refund fraud.”

Read the full article, and contact us for more information about steps you can take to stay out of harms way.

What is identity theft and How does it happen to you?

Let’s break this down as simple as possible. Your identity is one of your most valuable possessions. It’s absolutely essential to protect yourself, your employees, and your loved ones and keep your (and their) identity yours (or theirs).

Any documents containing confidential information, such as your social security number, bank account numbers, even your birthday are documents that should be properly destroyed if not using or safe from harms way. Those are just a few examples, but basically any documents containing confidential information can be used by identity thieves to commit fraud.

There are many types of identity theft security and monitoring systems, but some of the easiest measures you can take to protect yourself include proper document disposal. Thieves are constantly coming up with new ways to steal your identity. A common practice, as simple as it sounds, it dumpster diving. Once your trash hits the curb it’s fair game for anyone to rummage through. Additional ways of getting your personal information include:

· Mailbox raiding

· Medical Benefits fraud

· Phishing and spywear

· Social Networking websites

· Child and Senior identity theft

· And many more

Stay out of harms way and shed confidential documents. Also ensure any hard drives on old computers or phones are completely erased before disposing of (see our partnership with Blue Star Recyclers here). Take precautions and help keep yourself safe.