A great tool to fight identity theft is a shredder. They are fairly inexpensive for a small shredder and they will render your old documents unreadable.
I have two shredders in my house: a strip-cut and a cross-cut. A strip-cut shredder cuts your paper into thin strips the length of the paper you put in it. A cross-cut shredder cuts your paper into confetti-size squares or rectangles. I use the strip-cut shredder for things like old receipts that do not have my complete credit card numbers on them. I also use it for papers that have personal information on them but not account numbers (like credit card applications). My cross-cut shredder shreds anything that has my social security number or bank account numbers. Those are things that I definitely do not want getting in the wrong hands.
You only really need one shredder and if you were going out to buy one today I would recommend the cross-cut shredder. I only have two because I started with the strip-cut and then decided to get a cross-cut. I want to extend the life of my shredders so I alternate shredding days.
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Posted: October 6th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
Yup, shredders are priceless. Beats burning important documents anyday..
Posted: May 7th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Wo, this is really good information for those who are unaware of the difference. In this day and age you can’t just vertically slice important documents and expect to be okay. Lets all stay safe