Reducing identity theft risk through document shredding

Mailings for unsolicited offers of pre-approved credit cards present a significant risk to identity theft if they fall into the wrong hands. Applications are completed under the name of the person identified and the address is changed so that the bills are sent to a different address. The victim, in this case, may not find out about the identity breach until the collection agencies start to contact them. Another significant risk area is Dumpster diving. Thieves simply search trash for important information and use the data to steal the identity of the target.

Shredding mail and documents that contain sensitive information is a recommended way to reduce the chance that your identity may be stolen. All documents that contain personal information such as social security numbers, address, billing statements or tax information should be properly disposed of. Shredding documents not only reduces that chance of identity theft, it also is environmentally sound, since all of the shredding materials are recycled.

Identity theft can be an exhausting problem to rectify, identity theft prevention is best. Police reports, notification to credit bureaus and repairing the damage done can take a significant amount of time to fix. In the meantime, bill collectors and denial of credit are very frustrating and difficult matters to handle. Therefore, it is important to take the proper precautions with identity information, such a shredding properly, which will reduce your exposure to being a victim of identity theft.