Make Document Security Your New Years’ Resolution in 2019
January is the beginning of a fresh new year with resolutions galore, usually losing weight, spending less, quitting smoking, or exercising more. These noble commitments are designed to improve your well-being, but what about protecting yourself in other ways?
Identity theft, crimes against individuals where personal and financial data is illegally obtained, reached an all-time high in 2018, over four times the amount in 2017.[1] Whether you have a private business or personal documents that require data protection, creating a resolution to keep your confidential information safe is imperative.
If you aren’t sure where to start, read the following tips below to protecting your identity and your personal data
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Be Password Savvy
Identity thieves rely on easy or repetitive passwords to hack into your electronic devices and financial accounts. A vast improvement over normal passwords are passphrases, which are phrases with at least four random common words that are unrelated to one another, and that is easy for you to remember. The key to these passphrases is that they are long and random (for example, ‘twocoffeebeachglass’). [2]
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Limit the Amount of Information You Give Out
Just because you keep your information safe does not mean other institutions will! Your gym does not need your SIN number, and the person on the phone claiming to be your bank does not need your bank or credit card PIN number. Therefore when in doubt, don’t give your information out!
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Keep Confidential Documents or Files Secure
If you must keep any documents such as files for your taxes, keep them in a secure place, such as a locked filing cabinet or a locked folder on your computer. However, securely destroy these documents as soon as you are able to.
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Shred Your Documents with A Professional, Reoccurring Paper Shredding Service
We’ve said it before and we will say it again – the best way to protect your information is to shred your confidential documents! The area where you are most likely to be an identity theft victim is right in front of you – the business papers on your desk, the credit card bills in your mail, your pay stub or other documents from your employer, or other documents containing names, addresses, phone numbers or e-mail addresses. See our list of what documents you shred and store away.
A professional shredding service will protect your confidential information, save you money, and show your customers that you take data security seriously, all while being environmentally friendly. Call the BEST Shredding team today to discuss your paper shredding needs, or by using the quote form below!