Shred These Documents Now!
One of the easiest ways to avoid identity theft and fraud is to shred any documents you no longer need. Most of us are guilty of hoarding too many papers and documents just in case we need them someday. Most of these unwanted documents contain sensitive information that an identity thief could use. Don’t ever dispose of them in the bin, as anyone might read them once the rubbish leaves your home or office. It’s time to take stock of your old paperwork and securely shred what you no longer need.
Payslips
There’s no need to hang onto old payslips once you’ve checked them, as they contain personal information you wouldn’t want strangers to see. Gather them up and shred them all.
Credit Card Statements
Your credit card statements should never be left lying around where someone could steal your personal information. Check that everything’s in order and shred them.
Bank Statements
As well as account numbers and financial transactions, bank statements often contain other sensitive personal information that’s best kept private. Instead of keeping them in the house, shred your statements immediately.
Utility Bills
Once you’ve paid your phone, gas, water and electricity bills there’s no need to keep them. Your bank will have records of dates and amounts paid, so shred those old utility bills now.
Medical Records and Bills
Old medical records are just taking up space, plus they pose a security risk. If you no longer need them, dispose of your bills by shredding. Same goes for medical bills – once they’re paid, there’s no need to keep them.
Insurance Records
Depending on the age of your old insurance records, you might need to keep them while the relevant policy is active. When they’re no longer useful, shred them.
Expired Passports, Licences, and ID Cards
These are a major security risks since they have your photograph on them. They also have most of your personal information that an identity thief needs. The rest they could find out online if they have the basic information. As soon as they expire, shred them immediately.
Tax Returns
You should keep your old tax returns and receipts for at least five years in a secure place. They contain a lot of personal information and should be shredded once their time is up.
Centrelink Correspondence
Any Centrelink statements or letters should be shredded as soon as they’re no longer useful. They too contain sensitive personal information that needs to be kept private.
Certified Mail Content
Ever received something by certified mail? It’s certified because it contains a lot of personal data. Anything you receive by certified mail should be shredded once you’re done with them to protect your privacy.
Professional Shredding Services
To be absolutely certain that your old documents are properly shredded and your personal information is gone forever, try the services of a secure document destruction company. In Confidence will collect your old documents stored in locked containers, and shred them in our large industrial shredding machines in Melbourne. The paper is then recycled, and we issue you with a certificate of destruction. Call 1300 723 187, or contact us online
