Files To Send To A Reliable Los Angeles Document Shredding Service Provider

By Author: Ruby Badcoe
Total Articles: 71
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Identity theft is an emerging crime in California. In 2012, as much as 1.6 million Californians had their identities stolen in some way or form. Surprisingly, most of these thefts weren’t due to hackers obtaining personal information over the Internet, as most cases of identity theft are depicted in movies and on TV.

The crime is rampant partly because many people simply throw away certain records, not knowing that identity thieves rummage through garbage bins in search of valuable documents. Companies that provide document shredding in Los Angeles and elsewhere across the state provide the most effective solution: destroy old documents once they have outlived their usefulness. Some documents deserve this treatment more than others, namely:

Old Financial Documents

Tax returns need only be kept up to seven years for the sake of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In any case, the IRS only has three years to audit and six years to chase down unreported gross incomes from individuals. Old bank statements need only be kept for at least a year before they become obsolete; credit card statements, on the other ...
... hand, can be shredded as soon as payment has been confirmed.

Medical Records

These are a bit tricky because medical experts recommend keeping hospital records for five years at most after a sickness has abated. On the other hand, these records contain sensitive information such as contact numbers, addresses, and Social Security. Records that refer to prescription medicine should be kept indefinitely for future reference, especially when settling health insurance claims.

Expired IDs and Licenses

These are similar to medical records in terms of importance, although IDs and licenses are much safer to destroy once they’ve used up their purpose. People don’t need to worry if their IDs are too thick since reliable Los Angeles document shredding companies have special machines that are designed to tear apart even computer hard drives if needed.

For more information about prioritizing which documents to shred, visit personalorganizing.about.com/od/PaperManagement/a/What-To-Shred.htm. Meanwhile, visit: atg.wa.gov/page.aspx?id=13148#.UwV6ePnuIrU to learn more about the amount of time certain documents have until they’re considered obsolete.