Are People Being Paid to Sort Through Your Trash? Don't Throw Away Your Identity

 

It’s no secret that there’s big money in an identity theft. Thieves and hackers can make a hefty profit from stolen personal information. Because of this, every business wants to be safe from a major identity theft issue, which could mean a drastic financial blow to a company. Many businesses know shredding is necessary to help protect their identity. For companies that collect personal information like medical practices, accounting offices and law firms, document shredding also protects the people who trust you with their information.

Like a lot of business process, implementing paper shredding services might not feel like a top priority, but it is actually one of the most beneficial and important parts of running a business. Thieves will go to no end to steal information, and your trash is not off limits.

What goes?

If a document has your or your clients’ information in it and it doesn’t have a retention period or isn’t essential to your business, there is a good chance it needs to be securely shredded. See what documents thieves could scrounge up that your business should make a point to shred regularly:

• Anything received in the mail with your information that you do not need (credit card offers, etc.)
• Outdated tax documents, bank statements, canceled checks and paystubs
• Outdated ATM receipts, bills, credit card statements
• Devices and equipment such as hard drives, CDs, mobile phones, SIM cards and thumb drives. Proper hard drive destruction is key to keeping your business safe.

For documents you access frequently or want to scan for digital storing, document imaging services can store information in a secure server. Having documents backed up from scanning can make the decision to regularly shred information even easier.

Keep up the good work

Once you have a handle on what documents need shredding services, it’s important to keep up the momentum and stay ahead of identity thieves. Take a few minutes and opt out of paper billing with companies that offer electronic statements. This can reduce the amount of paper coming into your office that could potentially end up in the trash.

Also, look out for a local shred-a-thon event hosted by a records management company to have boxes of unused, outdated documents professionally shredded right in front of you.

To better protect your business from identity theft, learn how your small business can improve efficiency and save money with professional records management company and contact us to get started.