Some types of documents contain obviously sensitive information such as an individual’s financial, medical or legal details. No one doubts the need for secure paper shredding for those types of documents. But they are not the only papers that should be destroyed to protect sensitive information. If you are having a company come to shred on site at your business, you want to make it well worth the cost.
Here are some other papers that you should consider including in your secure paper shredding.
– Applications and CVs: Many companies keep applications and CVs of people they didn’t hire at the time they applied, but would consider for another vacancy. However, when this is eventually disposed of, it should not be simply tossed in the recycling bin. Given that is has personal details, it requires secure paper shredding.
– Old bank statements and credit card bills: Your company’s financial details merit as much protection as anyone’s personal financial details. When it is time to dispose of old records, shredding is the way to go.
– Old utility bills: Your account numbers are the sort of information you need to protect from scammers. Once they can provide an accurate account number, it is possible they could submit fraudulent bills and fool your accounting staff into paying them instead of the real utility company.
– Sensitive marketing information and research on the competition: This information merits secure paper shredding because you don’t want it to fall into the wrong hands. Your competition might not be stealing your recycling to find it, but it only takes one employee looking to join the competition or to set up as a rival to misuse this valuable information.
– Old personnel files: You are the guardian of very sensitive personal data about your employees, including their tax details, banking information if you pay by direct deposit, date of birth and address. It makes sense to keep records of former employees as you might be asked to provide a reference. And you should not be hasty in destroying old personnel files. But your human resources staff should remove and shred sensitive details that will not be needed in the future.
– Out of date service contracts: Scammers have found many ways to impersonate actual service providers and send fraudulent bills. Don’t make it easy for them by leaving the details of your real service contracts in the recycling.
– Receipts: Even those last four digits of a credit card number are more than you want to provide to thieves. Whether it is receipts for company purchases or those submitted by staff for reimbursement, secure paper shredding is the proper way to destroy them and defend against thieves.
Scammers have developed sophisticated ruses with just a little of accurate information, such as the serial number of a photocopier. Hiring an onsite shredding service is the easy way to ensure that documents are completely destroyed.
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