Why You Need Shredding To Prevent Identity Theft

One of the most important reasons for your business to have professional document shredding services is to prevent identity theft. 

What is identity theft?

Identity theft is when someone steals your identity without your permission. There are many ways as to how this can happen. What’s important is that you follow all safety precautions when it comes to handling your physical and online documents. 

Here are some specific ways that identity theft can occur:

• Data breach- This happens when someone is able to access the data of your organization without your authorization. 
• Unsecure browsing- If you share any personal information to a site that isn’t secure you may be at risk of identity theft. 
• Dark web market- The dark web is a type of browser that is able to mask a person’s identity or activity. If your information ends up here, your identity could be stolen. 
• Credit card theft- There are many ways for someone to be able to get your credit card information. They could use this to make unauthorized purchases.
• Card skimming- This happens when someone puts a skimming device over an atm or a fuel pump. Usually, it’s hard to tell if someone has done this. Someone uses this to be able to steal your card information. 

How can this affect you?

There are many ways that identity theft can affect a person. One of them is financial loss. While a lot of times credit card companies are good about replacing the lost money, it can take a while. You have to go through the process of trying to contact them and proving that you weren’t the one who authorized the purchases. This can result in you losing your account access and then not being able to make payments on time. 

How to prevent identity theft

Sometimes it’s not always possible to be able to prevent identity theft 100% of the time. But, there are precautions that everyone should take. When you receive mail or any documents that contain personal information, you should shred them when they are no longer needed. This will deter thieves from trying to steal your information. Also, you should always be aware of the websites that you put your personal information into. Some websites aren’t always credible, which could potentially give someone access to your information. 

Does your business need document destruction?

The experts at UCI Destruction are certified to shred any personal information that your business contains. If your company is in need of any document destruction, give them a call today at 806-372-7722 today!