In today’s world, it is necessary to shred sensitive material. Any document with confidential information must be destroyed to stay out of the hands of criminals. The question is how to determine which papers to destroy and how to shred them? The best solution is to implement a shred-all policy.

15.4 million people were the victims of identity fraud in 2016, according to a study by Javelin Strategy & Research. Identity fraud continues to grow, and so does the need to keep your financial and personal information safe and secure.

Many businesses assume that deleting sensitive files is enough to keep confidential information safe. Digital files are just as vulnerable, if not more vulnerable, than paper files and must be disposed of properly.

Confidentiality and business go hand-in-hand — a fact that isn’t necessarily making headlines. However, there is one casualty of the professional sphere that is noteworthy: identity theft.

When you’re choosing the right document shredding services for your business, there are a few things to keep in mind when making a decision. First, security should be the foremost consideration. How does the document shredding service handle your sensitive documents, bank account information, client paperwork, and legal documents?

It is mandated by law that every business puts in place steps to protect customer and employee information. This is to deter the efforts of fraudsters who would use such information to carry out white collar crime like siphoning funds out of the bank accounts or credit and debit cards of unsuspecting people. Every business must therefore have in place a strategy for document shredding based on its the nature of its activities, its scope and other specifics.

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States. Most identity theft is done by going through company dumpsters. A strip shredder does not offer ample protection for businesses. Even when companies do use cut and rip shredders, they are still responsible for transporting the shredded remains to a recycling center to avoid having them sitting in the trash.

When companies simply tear up and throw away their documents, they put themselves at risk of someone retrieving and reading them. These documents often contain sensitive information such as company bank account details and client records that criminals can use to steal identities. Someone can break into a bank account or start using a credit card within minutes of stealing the information.

Every business accumulates a lot of paperwork in the course of a day. There are different ways to destroy documents, but paper shredding is highly recommended. Unlike other methods of destroying papers, shredding completely destroys a document making it impossible to put back together. This deters the efforts of identity thieves who steal discarded documents, put them together and use them to carry out white collar crimes. Documents like statements, receipts and invoices contain enough information for such a person to be able to pull off fraud and siphon funds from people’s bank accounts and credit cards.

As a business owner or manager, you must be aware of the legal requirements to protect customer and employee records. It is also required by law that documents that contain financial information that can be used to steal identities and carry out white collar fraud are destroyed by shredding.