Spring Clean Up Your Identity Trail

Take Advantage in the Time of Renewal to Reorganize Your Life

Spring is a time for renewal and reorganization. This is the perfect time to get rid of those old documents that have been laying around, to check your credit and to make changes to your digital trail.

The Home

It’s time to take stock of documents that are essential and documents that are potentially harmful. USA.gov has a helpful list of things that are important and must be kept like your social security card, passport and education records. When you store these, make sure that they are not just laying around, but kept in a secure place such as a safe.

Things you should shred are:

• Cancelled Checks
• Old Bank Statements
• Pay Stubs
• Mail or Anything With Personal Information That Can Be Used

It may seem easier, but DON’T throw these bits of information in the trash. That can only lead to trouble. Make sure they have been shredded beyond recognition or repair.

Your Credit

Credit monitoring should be a year-round practice. The average person may not regularly check their credit health or even know how to do so, and be unaware of how strong their credit is, or other lines of credit that there have been opened in their name.

You are entitled to at least one free credit report a year at websites like AnnualCreditReport.com, and you can gain complete yearly access for free at FreeCreditReport.com (you have to accept seeing advertising).

On top of your credit score, also make sure to review your banking information and report any errors or inconsistencies.

Your Digital Life

Everything is heading to digital. Online checking, bill pay, educational expenses, medical records, shopping and doing your taxes, are all commonly being done online. Making sure that your passwords are secure and that you are watching your digital trail are important in an era when information can easily be picked up laying around without even knowing it is there.

This is a great time to change the passwords for accounts that you may have neglected. Try and use letters, numbers and characters, go longer if possible and don’t tie them in with your personal life. Also, try not using the same password on every account. This can seem like a hassle, but nowhere near the hassle of trying to repair your credit.

Store your password and pin information, but don’t carry it around with you. These can be easily be lost or misplaced and lead to easy access to your credit or debit cards, as well as online websites.

Who We Are

We are an onsite paper shredding, hard drive destruction, and media degaussing service that is located in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. We have over 15 years in the industry and are committed to providing you with the best information and unsurpassed results.

If you have any questions or need help with your document destruction plan, contact us.