Documents You Should Shred to Prevent Identity Theft
Each day, the U.S. Postal Services delivers more than 187 million pieces of mail, and much of that correspondence contains sensitive personal information. A lot of it may seem like junk mail, but it could be a useful tool for identity thieves. Even a partial account number, coupled with the name of your bank, or other information can be matched with any other info that's been gleaned to open accounts in your name. That's why it's important to shred mail or other documents containing potentially sensitive information. Here's a deeper dive into the mail and other types of documents you should shred to help protect yourself. Be sure to lock up any important documents that you don't shred, including birth and death certificates, adoption papers, marriage and divorce papers, citizenship papers, Social Security cards, tax-related documents, deeds and titles, and financial statements. Documents Containing Financial Information An identity thief could potentially use anythi...