Do You Shred?

How many of you Shred your sensitive information before discarding it?  If you don't, you should.  Why?  Your personal information in the hands of a savvy thief could result in major identity theft resulting in a nightmare for you.  Correcting our accounts causes hours of lost time and creates major frustrations and headaches.  Thieves rifle through trash and do dumpster diving to retrieve your personal information and commit fraudulent activities such as establishing a false identity, obtain credit cards,  establish bank accounts, and commit other crimes.  A portable Shredder is a MUST in all households and can be purchased at any office supply store.  the Federal Trade Commission estimates 5 to 10 million people suffer every ear from some form of identity theft or fraud.  Listed below are items the should be shredded:
*Pre-approved credit card applications & reports.
*Obsolete financial records including loans and credit reports
*Cancelled & voided checks
*Employment records, personal resumes & pay or pension stubs.
*Old driver's licenses, passports, visas & credit cards
*ATM receipts
*Personal medical records
*Tax preparation worksheets & tax forms
*Investment transactions including IRA, stock, & property transactions
*Mailing labels from all mail & packages
*All legal documents including insurance forms
*documents containing a social security number (even if only the last 4 numbers), birth dates, your mother's maiden name, passwords, PINs, signatures, & account numbers

The best types of shredders to purchase are the crosscut, confetti cut, or diamond cut.  The strip cut does not adequately shred documents because they can be easily re-pieced.  You want a shredder that cuts documents into the smallest pieces possible.  Don't think "identity theft will never to me."  It can and will likely happen unless you protect yourself.