Home Paper Shredder.
Why Use a Home Paper Shredder?
One
of the most prevalent crimes of the modern world is identity theft.
These days criminals rarely rush into a bank shouting “This is a stick
up!”
There are easier, more productive crimes. Stealing your
identity is one of them.
By using your personal information thieves can
create a clone of . . . you.
They
can then open up a bank account in your name, recreate your credit card
or apply for a credit card in your name.
They can take out a loan, a driver’s
license (with their picture, but in your name,) file a dishonest tax
return in your name, set up electronic transfers in your name, and bleed
your bank account dry.
Often some of the monetary loss
is borne by the financial institution concerned, but only once it is established
that you are a victim of identity theft. However, financial loss is not the
only outcome of having your identity stolen.
It can sometimes take years for you to clear your name.
Using a Home Paper Shredder is One Way to Prevent Identity Theft.
Identity fraud
is not something that only happens to other people, it is a very real
danger. Be very careful about the information about yourself that you
throw in the trash.
Thieves do hunt through your trash, at your home or at public trash dumps looking for items of information.
Think of all the pieces of paper that are likely to be around your home and the information they contain: Credit
card bills, charge card bills, electric, gas, water, phone, Internet,
cable television bills, ATM receipts, bank statements, pay check stubs,
credit reports, canceled checks, investment documents, tax forms,
expired drivers licenses, employment records, pre-approved credit
applications, ID cards, medical records, dental records, expired
passports, expired visas.
All these, and more, contain information that identity thieves would love to get their hands on.
Shredders have given the private citizen the ability
to shred sensitive documents, and with the rise of identity theft that
is a very good thing.
You will also not want to throw out, without first running them through
your home paper shredder: Receipts showing checking account numbers,
any paper showing your social security number, documents containing your
signature, documents concerning stock, bonds or property transactions.
Rummaging through your trash is not the only way criminals can obtain
the information they need to clone you – but it is one method they use.
It makes sense to shred all sensitive documents that you throw out.
Which Type of Home Paper Shredder?
It is worthwhile spending a little time
thinking which type of home shredder will best suit your needs.
Shredders are reasonably
priced these days but there are considerations other than cost.
Strip Cut Shredders. Strip cut shredders are generally the
lowest priced but, as their name suggests, these machines shred paper in
to strips.
It should be kept in mind that it is possible for a criminal
to piece together the strips and recreate the document, time consuming
but can be done.
Depending on how the paper is fed into the shredder a
whole sentence may be on one strip.(As can be seen in the above photo.)
To make it more difficult to
reconstruct a shredded document you can shred three or four
insignificant papers along with the sensitive one. This does not, of
course, make reconstruction impossible.
Cross Cut Shredders. These shredding machines cut the paper both ways creating very small, squares or diamonds.
Needless to say, these confetti pieces
are extremely difficult to put back together. The time that it would
take the thief is probably more than he would consider worthwhile for a
personal document. Thus a cross cut home paper shredder would be the
better investment.
There are other types of shredder, some pound paper through a small gauge mesh others grind the paper up until it is small enough to pass
through a screen. But these machines are more than the typical home
user needs.
Capacity and Speed. You will probably find the
ability to shred six or so sheets at the same time useful but, unless
you are running a home business, more than that is not necessary.
The
same with capacity, a home paper shredder need not be too large. Some
shredders cut out, in order to cool off, after shredding a certain
number of documents. Again this should not be a problem for the home
user.
Paper shredders were once quite costly pieces of equipment
and only used in offices. Home paper shredders have given the private
citizen the ability to shred sensitive documents, and with the rise of
identity theft that is a very good thing.
Identity Theft Prevention
>
Home Paper Shredder.
Identity Theft On The Internet
Identity theft on the internet is a danger, but using your common sense
and taking all necessary precautions when you can greatly reduce the
risks.