Is your home being overtaken by piles of outdated documents that you have no idea what to do with and no time to destroy on your own? Are you concerned that someone could steal your identity because of all the personal information you have just laying around? Does your business deal with personal information that you want to be diligent about disposing of in the right manner? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are most likely in the market for a reliable shredding professional who can take care of your personal and/or business materials in an appropriate manner with a high level of security and good disposal practices.
It's not a problem you encounter every day. In fact, you have to have outdated documents that require destruction in order to even consider looking for a shredding business in Contra Costa County. So you may be asking yourself, Where do I begin?
Let Diamond Certified help! In the following articles, you will find practical information on choosing and hiring the right shredding business for your needs. Whether you live in the larger cities of Concord, Antioch, Pittsburg, Danville and Martinez or the smaller towns of Alamo, Briones, Maltby, Orinda and Vine Hill, Diamond Certified can help you know what to look for in and how to locate a trustworthy shredding professional in Contra Costa County.
The Whys of Shredding
Did you know it is not illegal for someone to go through your trash? You may not have understood that or perhaps thought that it doesn't really happen, but "dumpster diving" (as it has come to be called) is very much a reality we all have to deal with. There are people who are willing to dig through your discarded belongings to find information they can use to steal your identity for their own personal benefit. And if you don't protect yourself, no one else can.
Private individuals
There are a tremendous number of ways that resourceful thieves are able to comb through your discarded documents and find enough information to bring a world of inconvenience and unnecessary costs into your unsuspecting life. In fact, a survey conducted by Cal PIRG and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse suggests that on average, identity theft costs a victim 175 hours and $800 to resolve the initial theft as well as two to four years to resolve any residual problems.
Shredding documents with confidential information is one of the best ways you can protect yourself against this preventable loss of time and resources including if you live in the larger cities of Contra Costa County such as Richmond, Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Brentwood and Pleasant Hill.
Businesses
For businesses both small and large, shredding documents is not only a good idea -it is required by law. California civil code and federal law both require the destruction of all discarded customer, employee and company information. Businesses have an "implied contract" to safeguard all personal information and violation of this contract can and does result in binding legal action complete with high fines and harsh penalties once violated. Business owners, even in the smaller towns of Contra Costa County such as Bay Point, Clayton, Kensington, Port Costa and Walnut Heights, should desire to show the highest standard in ethical dealings as well as keeping their business as green-friendly as possible.
Professional shredding provides the opportunity for businesses to show their stake holders that they are highly serious about matters of the legal, ethical and environmental variety.
The What of Paper Shredding and Document Destruction
We have all questioned if we really need to keep that pile of mail cluttering up our desk drawer, attic crawlspace or other place in our home. The best advice we can give is NO! Don't keep anything that someone else could get their hands on and use against you when you are least expecting it. The types of things you should shred include:
- Financial information: Every piece of mail or documentation you receive from a financial institution can potentially be used to steal your identity. Records should be kept for three years, but then shred.
- Personal information: Any document that contains any part of your name, date of birth, social security number, address, telephone numbers or driver's license number should be shred.
- Account information: Identity thieves prey on account numbers along with user names and passwords, so shred anything that contains any part of those items of information.
- Junk mail: Even a little piece of junk mail can provide an entrepreneurial thief with the information they need to use your own information against you. Shred not only the piece with your info on it, but also any return envelopes sent with it.
Reasons to Consider Looking for a Contra Costa County Shredding Company
A lot more of our personal and business information is being transferred in an online format, but thousands of sheets of paper is still being used to document our lives. All of this information (especially the online kind -but that's for a different article) can be used against us by those who would steal our identities for their own gain. Considering a shredding company to safely and securely get rid of these kinds of personal documents is one of the best ways you can practice to avoid falling victim to identity theft.
There are a number of reasons to consider hiring a Contra Costa County shredding company, whether you live in the larger cities of Richmond, Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Brentwood and Pleasant Hill or the smaller towns of Alamo, Briones, Maltby, Orinda and Vine Hill. Here are a few to think about:
- Finances: Especially for business owners, a shredding service can cut the cost of document disposal by at least half.
- Dependability and efficiency: Shredding services work just like any other service in which specialists come to your location and get the job done in a fraction of the time it would take you.
- Safety: Shredding companies are especially interested in showing their clients that they are a secure business who is committed to destroying and disposing of documents in a complete and safe manner. They will most often use more caution and professionalism than your own employees or family members when destroying and disposing of your information.
- Green concerns: Many shredding companies work with paper mills to ensure your documents are completely recycled -more than you can do on your own with local recycling companies.
The benefits of a document shredding service are extensive. You can take advantage of these services and save money and time by having a Contra Costa County shredding specialist take care of all your shredding needs.
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