Tearing through the paper trail

Whether you're a student or running a business, consider how many pieces of paper you send to the recycle bin every week—from unopened junk mail, old bills and unneeded receipts to work-related reports, financial statements and spreadsheets. Now envision how easy it would be for a thief to sift through your garbage can or dumpster and come away with vulnerable personal information, valuable account numbers, and credit card offers they could complete in your name.

This is a big reason why close to 60 million Americans have suffered identity theft, per a 2018 Harris Poll survey, and why 14.4 million victims were tallied last year alone according to Javelin Strategy & Research. Those numbers would undoubtedly be diminished if we all consistently used a paper shredder to destroy these and other sensitive documents.

Learn how to choose the right shredder for your needs in my newest article freshly published in The Costco Connection magazine, available here.