Local Expert Blog: Holiday Shred

Holiday Shred 

The holiday season is always a busy time of year. So much so, it’s easy for a few things here and there to slip your notice.

However, when properly disposing of paper containing sensitive information, it’s essential to do your due diligence and shred.

What should be shredded? 

The list of what should be shredded can be lengthy. But, essentially, you will want to safely dispose of anything that contains your name, date of birth, address, phone number, banking information, SIN number, etc.

1. Shopping receipts

Often stuffed in a pocket, purse, or the bottom of a bag, shopping receipts aren’t given much attention. However, you don’t want to be careless with these little pieces of paper. So always check credit and debit card receipts to ensure the card numbers are truncated and expiry dates aren’t listed.

Of course, you will want to wait until after the holidays to shred your shopping receipts just in case you need to return a gift or two. In the meantime, store them in an envelope to help keep you organized, and keep them out of sight in a secure place. Then, once it’s clear they are no longer needed, shred them.

2. Holiday Cards

Perhaps more people are using e-cards to spread holiday cheers, but some still kick it old school by sending holiday cards in the mail.

You may not think much of it, but tossing the envelope in the trash or recycle bin should never be an option. Keep in mind, your name and address are on the card, as well as the return address of your friend or loved one. So do the both of you a favour and shred.

As for the cards themselves, put together a holiday box to store them. If you aren’t as sentimental, shred these along with the envelopes to protect signatures.

3. Packing Labels

Like the holiday cards, packing labels contain your name and address. So, when it comes time to dispose of those Amazon packages or similar, remove the label first and add them to your to-be-shred pile.

Note: If the label does not budge, you can try using a sharpie to black out your personal information.

Keeping you and your loved ones safe during the holiday season is the greatest gift you can give them. Shred papers containing personal information and prevent identity theft and fraud.

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