Do I Have to Shred My Receipts?

Your identity could be stolen with information obtained in your trash can.

Identity theft is rising all over the world. Fifteen million United States citizens are victims to this type of crime every year. Protection of your personal and financial information is paramount to avoid becoming a victim.

Identity Theft Protection

To protect yourself from identity theft, the simple answer is to shred your all your receipts. If you happy to sort through your receipts, then you should basically shred anything that contains your checking account number. Other receipts that hold your address or any personal information should also be shredded. Perpetrators of identity theft will be happy to go through your trash to obtain the information that they require.

Further Items

Further items that should be shredded include anything with personal or financial information on them. These include anything with your Social Security number, bank account or credit card details, medical information, legal information or your signature.

Protection

Protect yourself from identity theft by shredding documents, but if your wallet or purse is stolen you need to ensure you that you report this theft immediately to the police and then contact every bank or credit company that you have an account with to report this theft.

References

• Fight Identity Theft: Learn What To Shred
• Budgets Are Sexy: Shredding 700+ receipts, Not Fun, But Good To Do
• Identity Theft Info: Identity Theft Statistics: 15 Million Victims a Year