Which Documents To Shred
Businesses are always going to be at risk of identity theft if they don’t properly handle the destruction of important, sensitive or proprietary information. Document shredding is the safest way to ensure your sensitive documents will not be at risk for identity theft. However, you must make sure that your documents are shredded properly, because if not, they can be easily pieced together. Do not use scissors to cut your documents – that is certainly not a secure way to shred or destroy them.
Identity thieves will avoid any theft that requires a lot of effort, they will more likely steal if they have convenient access to your confidential information. Shredded documents are often not properly disposed of. In order to ensure your customer and employee information remains secure, it’s best to hire a professional shredding service and to know which documents to shred.
Businesses are often unsure of which documents need to be shred and which information storage devices need to be destroyed. This is a list of the most important and most sensitive information and documents to shred:
Personal information from employees and customers:
- Names
- Mailing addresses
- E-mail addresses
- Social Security, passport, driver’s license, or credit card numbers
- Cell phone or other telephone numbers
- Resumes and hiring documents
- Photos or descriptions of physical characteristics
- Other personal property information, such as car registration, license plate numbers
Sensitive business information:
- Proprietary information, trade secrets, copyright and patent information
- Customer invoices, purchase orders or shipping information
- Payroll records
- Procurement records
- Supply chain records
- Equipment passcodes/logins
- Sales forecasts or projections
- Marketing and product development plans
- Financial records
- Hard drives, flash drives, discs
There are several reasons why the items listed above are coveted by thieves. There’s an efficient and secure way to avoid having that information fall into the wrong hands. Professional shredding services make it easier for companies to not only have peace of mind, but they also allow your business to remain efficient and productive by not wasting precious time shredding documents all day.
There is always a risk that your company could succumb to the dangers of identity theft. Although there are certain laws which protect companies, there’s always the chance that your employees are not handling your confidential information with kid gloves. Your company could be held liable if an identity theft victim’s sensitive information was not properly destroyed.
The best way to handle your sensitive documents and keep them from getting into the wrong hands, is to know which documents to shred and to hire a professional shredding service. A professional shredding service can efficiently shred or destroy documents, discs and other storage devices which contain private information. Be sure to hire a vendor who is NAID certified and is capable of providing you with a Certificate of Destruction when your shredding is complete.
IntelliShred has spent years servicing the tri-state area. Our expertise helps us provide efficient, secure document destruction services. Contact us today if you have any questions on which documents to shred or to learn more about our services and how we can help protect confidential information.
