How to destroy sensitive information

Another tax season is here. And with it, your most sensitive information is traveling through the mail. Social Security numbers, pay stubs and more. But what do you do when tax season is over and it’s time to securely destroy the documents? You could just throw them in with the rest of your trash, but that can leave you open to fraudsters.  

Here are the three safest and most convenient ways to destroy your sensitive documents.  

Shred/cut  

If you have an at-home shredder, then it’s a quick and easy option to run your documents through before disposing of them. That said, scissors are a great second option. If you manually cut your documents, be intentional with where you cut. It doesn’t do you any good to cut through the white space on a document and leave all of your personal info intact. Be sure to cut sensitive information in halves and quarters.  

Bonus: The same is true for disposing of unwanted/old debit and credit cards.  

Separate the trash  

Whether you shred or manually cut your sensitive documents, be sure to throw them out in different trash bags. If someone does go through your trash, the chances of them piecing together information are significantly lower.  

Shred days  

Credit unions will often have an annual shred day event where community members can bring their sensitive documents to be shredded and then disposed of in a secure location. Keep your eye on OCCU social media channels for upcoming shred day announcements.  

Your privacy and security matters  

By taking a few extra seconds to securely destroy and dispose of documents, you’re taking proactive steps to protect your identity and personal info. At OCCU, we pride ourselves on protecting our members by using cutting-edge fraud prevention systems. But at the end of the day, sometimes the low-tech solution is best.  

Dive into our blog resource page to learn more about fraud prevention and other topics.