Free Shredding Events

9/5/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford hosts several FREE shredding events a year.  Follow us on Facebook to see a list of our upcoming events!

Why is shredding important? 

Shredding is fundamental to protecting your identity.

Discarding bank and credit card statements, medical and utility bills and pay stubbs in the garbage and leaving them on the curb can put you in a vulnerable position. Believe it or not, there are people who will dig through dirty, disgusting, smelly trash to find credit card statements or your social security number. 

In fact, in the decision California vs. Greenwood, the United States Supreme Court stated that the "expectation of privacy in trash left for collection in an area accessible to the public is unreasonable."

In other words, when you throw something away, it is available to anyone who is willing to dig through your trash.

The best way to protect your self is by shredding.

What to shred? The short list is anything with a signature, account number, social security or driver's license number, and medical or legal documents

Not sure if items need to be shredded? This is a list of the top 20 items that should be put in the shredder to protect your identity:  

Obsolete financial records, including loans

Pre-approved credit card applications.

Personal medical records or physician statements

Correspondence and tax preparation worksheets

Receips for purchases

Bank statements

ATM receipts

Credit card statements

Cancelled checks

Mail and old records

Utility bills

Credit card receipts

Insurance forms

Investment transactions

Expired credit cards

Mailing labels from magazines

Pay stubs

Old driver’s licenses or passports

Expired insurance cards

Any document that contains social security, birth dates, your mother’s maiden name, account numbers or online passwords.