Many people take the extra care to securely shred old personal documents to prevent thieves from using their personal data to commit identity theft. However, like any security system, it is only as strong as its weakest link. Even the most security conscious of people are still failing to destroy seemingly innocent papers which thieves can now use to expose and infiltrate their identity.
Up to 75% of Australian’s throw away documents which could be used to steal their identity1. Identity theft already costs Australia over $1.6 billion each year and is growing2. Many Australian’s fear identity theft from cybercrime, although fraud from waste paper remains as high as ever.
Documents that people often fail to shred include:
- ATM receipts – transaction dates and values help verify identity with banks.
- Airline boarding passes – barcodes can reveal vital personal information to those in the know.
- Junk mail – You may not want the latest credit card offer, but criminals do!
- Medical records – contain medicare information, a key personal identifier.
- Utility bills – a common way to prove your identity.
Not only should you dispose of these documents securely, you should keep them secure until you do. Having a regular and secure disposal system in place significantly reduces your risk of identity theft.
Australian Document Shredding Service has the experience and know-how to ensure that your sensitive paper documents never fall into the wrong hands. We supply lockable security bins to meet the requirements of organisations of all sizes. Simply fill the bins and we’ll pick it up and handle the document disposal. Our Certificate of Destruction is your guarantee that all sensitive data has been completely erased.
Find out more about our services or book a bin by phoning us today on 1800 001 008.
Sources:
- Newspoll Survey 2010
- Australian Federal Police: Identity Crime https://www.afp.gov.au/what-we-do/crime-types/fraud/identity-crime