Sometimes you get so much mail that it becomes hard to keep track of it. Some of it you keep, most of it you don’t. Between the bank statements and pay stubs to insurance and medical records, most of it gets lost or tossed in the garbage. This, however, could put you at great risk for theft or privacy breaches.
“Dumpster diving,” when someone rifles through trash cans for personal information, is a tactic used by identity thieves to get information. So, if you throw away your documents, it may be quite easy for people to obtain your information. Identity theft is becoming a greater issue as information is more widely available both physically and digitally. Even if most of your life has transitioned to the digital space, that unfortunately doesn’t mean you’re in the clear yet. Both spaces can pose a threat from hackers on your personal information. There are still times and places that you will receive actual paper documents, and when this happens, how you discard it can be extremely important.
Shredding is a way to prevent any of your personal information and records from being placed in the wrong hands. That’s why The Silbernagel Group hosts a yearly shred event. Look out for our Springtime shred, where we invite the community to bring their sensitive documents – free of charge – to be shredded at our office. We look forward to seeing you there!