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Home » Jobs & Money » Budgeting Tips & Debt Relief » Prevent Identity Theft By Shredding – What To Shred, What To Keep & How To Choose A Shredder

Prevent Identity Theft By Shredding – What To Shred, What To Keep & How To Choose A Shredder

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Did you know that it is perfectly legal for people to look through your garbage?

You can prevent identity theft by shredding items before putting them in the trash - A man going through the garbage outside someone's apartment.

It was ruled in California vs Greenwood, in January 1988. The court of appeals stated:

The Fourth Amendment does not prohibit the warrantless search and seizure of garbage left for collection outside the curtilage of a home.

For this reason, and the fact that criminals will search your garbage for personal information in order to steal from you, you need to destroy documents before throwing them away.

 

Who Should Shred?

On June 1, 2005 a law went into effect that requires anyone with one or more employees to shred personal records before throwing them away.

The fact is, everyone should shred personal documents in order to prevent identity theft.

 

What Should You Shred?

You should shred anything that has personal information on it — including items with:

  • your signature on them
  • account numbers
  • your social security number
  • medical information
  • legal information

Here is a long list of everything that you should shred.

 

Things You Should Not Shred

There are some things that you will not want to shred, but instead keep.

Some of the more important items you should keep for life are:

  • Birth certificates
  • Marriage licenses
  • Divorce papers
  • Death certificates
  • Military records
  • Social security cards
  • Copies of wills

Here is a long list of things to keep, and for how long. (Tip: It’s best to keep these items in a safe deposit box.)

What it comes down to is this: If you don’t already have one, there’s no time like the present to buy a paper shredder.

 

How To Choose A Paper Shredder

There are 2 types of paper shredders you can choose from:

  • Strip cut shredders – these cut paper into long spaghetti-like pieces.  It is best to purchase strip cut shredders that cut as small as possible, preferably 1/8 inch.
  • Cross cut shredders – these will cut your paper into strips and crosswise, turning the paper into confetti.  These smaller pieces of shredded paper will be very difficult to reassemble, making your information safer.

Cross cut shredders are more expensive and require more maintenance than strip cut shredders.

You can get a paper shredder with a wastebasket attached or get a one that sits on top of any wastebasket. (The latter will save you a bit of money.)

Be sure to check the labeling on paper shredders to find the right one for your shredding needs.

For example, you can buy one that shreds 2 to 8 sheets at one time — which is fine if you shred papers infrequently.  A commercial-grade shredder will allow you to shred many papers at once on a daily basis. (The label will also tell you whether a particular paper shredder can handle staples, credit cards and CDs.)

Here’s what to look for when buying a paper shredder.

One final thing you should know is that virtually any document can be put back together with enough time and patience.  Of course, if you use your shredded paper for cat litter like I do, no one will be willing to try.

Andrea
Andrea

I have been a certified tightwad striving for financial freedom since I became pregnant with my first child — and I decided to find a way to stay home with him full-time. I enjoy sharing my personal experiences in my journey back to financial health and planning for a future — which will include sending 2 kids to college and early retirement.

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Filed Under: Budgeting Tips & Debt Relief, Jobs & Money Tagged With: identity theft, monthly bills and utilities

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About Us

LynnetteWith input from Financial Advisors, (a Tax Accountant and an Investment Manager), I share helpful tips regarding money and finances -- including debt relief, insurance, budgeting, and investing for retirement. My goal is to help you save more, spend less, and invest for the future by sharing honest, tried & true budgeting tips and tools. When I'm not saving for the future and helping others save for theirs, you can find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).

Lynnette: View My Blog Posts

AndreaI have been a certified tightwad striving for financial freedom since I became pregnant with my first child -- and I decided to find a way to stay home with him full-time. I enjoy sharing my personal experiences in my journey back to financial health and planning for a future -- which will include sending 2 kids to college and early retirement.

Andrea: View My Blog Posts

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