Personal Identity Protection for Seniors

Get a shredder!

In-home shredders are no longer optional for Seniors who wish to protect their personal identity. Everyone has bank statements, medical records, old tax records, legal documents, and countless more personal items that you don't want falling into the wrong hands. Here are some ideas about what to shred and how to choose a home shredder.

Simple Rules for Home Shredding

Never simply discard "pre-approved" credit offers you receive in the mail. Always shred them. Shred anything that contains your name, address, or other sensitive data before discarding, using a crosscut shredder — including invoices, receipts, statements, personalized pitch letters and envelopes, catalogs, and pre-approved credit offers.

Don't discard sensitive documents at work unless you're sure they'll be shredded properly.
Take your trash out immediately before it is due to be collected. Don't give identity thieves time to go through your trash. Do not rely on magic marker to mask your name on mailings.

Shredded paper is recyclable. Collect the shredding in a paper bag (plastic bags complicate things at the recycling facility), staple or tape it shut to keep it from blowing all over the neighborhood, and place it curbside with the rest of your paper recycling. It’s usually okay if the bag contains a few staples, paper clips, or shredded credit cards. Another option is to contact your local humane society or animal shelter. They can use your shredded paper (paper only — no metal or plastic) for animal bedding and litter purposes.

One note about safety: Keep your shredder unplugged when you’re not using it, especially if you have children or pets. Accidents have happened. For seniors with eyesight problems and who need to operate a shredder, visit this website which has good information on how to do so: http://www.afb.org/seniorsite.asp?SectionID=65&TopicID=324&DocumentID=3593

What to Look for in a Home Shredder

Most home shredder models are small enough that they can be easily transported from one room to the next, yet powerful enough to accept staples and paper clips. These shredders are attractive, with modern designs and optional colors to match the decor of your home office. Home shredders are a certain size because they are meant to be placed next to a desk or table.
Here is a short list of features to look for when buying a home shredder:

1. Shred type and size. Choose cross cut or confetti cut for the best security.

2. Workload capacity and durability. Consider sheet capacity (how many pieces of paper you can feed into the shredder at once) as well as frequency of use. If you want to shred an entire unopened credit card application, envelope and all, you’ll need a shredder that can handle many sheets of paper at once. If you plan to shred documents for more than a few minutes at a time, choose a shredder with a motor that can run longer before overheating. Choose a shredder that will shut down when it gets too hot. And, remember this feature! If your shredder stops working- don’t forget (like I did once) that it may need a rest.

3. Handling of non-paper items. If you plan to shred documents containing staples, be sure your shredder can take it. The same is true for paper clips, credit cards and CDs.

4. Wastebasket size and features. Choose a size that will fit well into your space, but not so small that you’ll have to empty it too frequently. I like shredders with separate, pull-out wastebaskets; they’re less messy when it’s time to empty them.

5. Safety and convenience. Automatic shut off is a good feature to mitigate paper jams. A reverse switch helps with this, too. Automatic on/off is another handy feature that senses whether there is paper in the machine. It starts when you insert a piece of paper, and it quits until the next piece of paper comes in.

And, a word about outbound mail. Never place outbound mail (at work or at home) in an open, unlocked mailbox. Never leave mail in your car. During long absences, have mail held at the post office or have a trusted neighbor pick it up.

Finally, Just Say NO!

Avoid the need to shred altogether! To keep pre-approved credit offers from being sent to you, remove your name permanently from the mail offer lists by visiting www.optoutprescreen.com. You can also opt out by calling 1.888.5OPT.OUT (1.888.567.8688), but only for a five-year period.

Add your name to the National Do-Not-Call Registry at www.fcc.gov/cgb/donotcall, as well as to your state's Do-Not-Call list (if it has one). Add your name to name-deletion lists used by nationwide marketers at www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html.

Whenever possible, say "No" to the sharing of your data by financial institutions, credit card companies, and insurance or investment firms.