Monday, May 14, 2007

Credit Card Machines

Different Types of Documents & Information You Should Shred
By Andy Lawson

This day in age document security is becoming alarmingly important. As a business owner or manager it is essential to take the necessary steps to ensure the privacy and safety of your company's employees and their information. Identity theft in America has forced law makers to focus their efforts on thwarting thieves from stealing private information. One such law is the FACTA Disposal rule, which orders business owners to destroy any paper records that contain vital information.

Almost all businesses generate documents that are processed regularly. Such documents typically include contracts, agreements, purchase orders, memos, invoices and receipts that may contain sensitive information. Document security refers to procedures involved in effective storage and back up, processing, delivery and disposal of important documents. The recent legislation in the United States makes it mandatory for all business owners to dispose of important documents - which may include personal data or vital information - completely.

Useful and sensitive data can be displayed in documents and discs, tapes and CDs. Credit card solicitations, sent by credit card companies, also contain important personal details of prospective customers. Credit card solicitations are sent to customers whose names are included in lists purchased by the credit card companies from credit reporting agencies.

Identity thieves are always on the lookout for bank statements, ATM receipts, Credit card bills, Pre-approved credit card applications and other mail that can provide them with vital information. They in turn, use the information to create new fraudulent accounts. The records they look for usually include personal details like names, addresses, Social Security Numbers, driver's license details and so on. All of this information is sensitive and should be shredded without question.

It is important to employ proper methods to protect personal data and destroy important documents carefully before disposal. Identity thieves will go to any extent to obtain crucial information from large businesses. Most companies use shredders to destroy unwanted documents. In fact, there are several document shredding services that take care of all your unwanted official documents. You can even obtain a portable shredder for domestic use. It is crucial to destroy all your monthly bills, receipts and credit card statements regularly, to ensure that your personal data does not fall into the wrong hands.

Various machines are available in the market that can destroy CDs effectively, ensuring that the information contained cannot be re-accessed. These manually operated machines help to wipe out the data on CDs within a few seconds. A steel cylinder with a rough surface ensures that the data is properly eliminated from the disc.

It is important to destroy pre-approved credit card solicitations. You may receive them regularly, but you can choose to 'opt out' of the list sold by credit reporting agencies.

You should make sure that you check your banking and credit card accounts regularly, for any discrepancies or unauthorized usage. Avoid divulging your Social Security Number to strangers. Make sure that all your outgoing mail is deposited in a collection box authorized by the post office. Do not leave mail in your mailbox unattended for a long time.

Andy Lawson and Southland shredding, a California document shredding services company, work to prevent information security issues by providing collection centers and mobile shredding services for the secure document destruction needs of Southern California companies, government offices or individual privacy protection.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Lawson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Different-Types-of-Documents-and-Information-You-Should-Shred&id=464865






















This day in age document security is becoming alarmingly important. As a business owner or manager it is essential to take the necessary steps to ensure the privacy and safety of your company's employees and their information. Identity theft in America has forced law makers to focus their efforts on thwarting thieves from stealing private information. One such law is the FACTA Disposal rule, which orders business owners to destroy any paper recor

No comments: