Shredding Off-site v On-site, Who Can I Trust

To shred or not to shred? That is the first question. Now that we've answered that with a resounding "yes", let us find out how. The question is as old as the proverbial day is long--on-site or off? Do I have a truck come to shred it or do I have it taken away and shredded at a facility? Based on a regulatory
and compliance perspective, on-site and off-site are deemed equal by the Federal Trade Commission. According to governmental acts such as HIPAA, FACTA, SOX, and GLB the onus lies with the company or individual who is investing in the destruction project to observe "due diligence" before hiring a shredding company.

What's the difference between the two? Simply stated, the on-site shredding truck costs a lot of money to buy so they charge a lot of money to come. They are extremely loud thus creating an uncomfortable level of noise pollution. These trucks also need to be running their engines at high RPMs to activate their shredders, so besides the noise pollution there is an excessive level of
exhaust emission from the truck creating more diesel pollution. All this occurs outside an office building where they take up coveted parking spots and distract the employees trying to be productive, or double park on the streets causing traffic issues. More often than not, companies don't even utilize the one advantage that the shredding trucks have over off-site shredding--nobody ever goes down to the truck to see if the information is actually being shredded.

A common misconception is that onsite is safer, when in fact from a safety and security perspective the shredding truck presents more of a risk. More than once I have witnessed wayward papers fly down a street or parking lot as the bins they were in are opened either going into the truck or coming out of it. I have also recently seen and documented employees of shredding companies bring the bins to street level only to leave them there alone while they go get their truck. With Allstar Secure Shred’s secured off-site shredding your bins are locked when
removed from your office, placed in our locked trucks which upon arrival to our facility are backed entirely into our warehouse and unloaded into our machinery.

How do I choose the 'right' company? For most if not all businesses reputation is a key component in determining if they will be hired. The same applies to the shredding industry if not more so. In most cases people do not know 'shredders' so they Google them to find one to service their needs. Be sure to always ask for references to make sure they are doing what they say, and at a quality level of service that is deemed acceptable. Also ask for a tour of the facility
where your information will be destroyed to obtain a firsthand look at the process. At Allstar we not only provide tours we encourage them. What if I’m still not convinced off-site is the way to go? I leave you with this analogy--when you have blood taken at the doctor’s office do you watch
them check it and give you instant results? No, they take your blood and send it to a lab where it is tested with tens of thousands of other samples and the results are returned in a few days. If you trust your own health to that process, then trusting us to handle confidential information should not be a problem. At Allstar--security, safety and integrity are what we provide to our clients and potential clients along with our reputation of providing excellent customer service.

Protecting Your Child's Identity and Credit

More than 140,000 children are victims of identity fraud
annually in the United States, according to a study conducted by
risk-management firm IDAnalytics. Children are also targeted approximately 51
more times than adults. Unfortunately these statistics are likely only the tip
of the iceberg, as these are victims that have been made aware that their
identities have been stolen. One of the main reasons why children are such a
viable option for identity thieves is that their Social Security numbers are
'clean' or unused, thereby making it easier to associate a different names and
birthdates with it.

Most times the theft may have been occurring for long periods and not brought to the attention of the child or parent until many years later when the child reaches the age of approximately 17 or 18 years old. Some examples of discovery would be when they are applying for student
loans, an apartment rental, car loan, or even finding their medical records filled with incorrect information.

Children may be found to owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in mortgage loans that have been defaulted on, thousands of dollars in traffic violations, or even a criminal record. Unfortunately
organized crime is not the only culprit associated with this type of theft. Family members have been found guilty of stealing the social security numbers of their nieces/nephews, grandchildren, brothers/sisters and in many cases their sons or daughters.

There are a few ways of protecting your child’s identity and credit--1 and perhaps the single best way is to put a credit freeze on their credit file. By placing a credit freeze with all three major credit bureaus, you maintain control over who can access your child's credit report. The result of this is that you are blocking identity thieves from using your child's name and credit to open fraudulent credit accounts and harming them and their credit profile 2--monitor your own and your child's online usage. Never give out personal information unless you know who it is going to and what it will be used for. 3--obtain a yearly free credit check from freecreditreport.com which is recognized by the Federal Trade Commission. 4--Always shred confidential information before throwing it out. A 'short list' of what to shred would be bank statements, credit card information, and other information containing your birthday or social security number.

At Allstar Secure Shred we strive to stay current with topics that affect our clients. We feel that by helping to keep people informed about these types of crimes, it is a major step to awareness and hopefully prevention of becoming a victim.

You Shredded It--Now Prove It

There is virtually nowhere to go these days where you cannot find a rule or regulation telling you what you can and can not do. Document shredding is no different. If you maintain and eventually dispose of your company’s, your client’s or your patient’s confidential information, you need to have a policy in place to prove that you have met the requirements issued by Governmental Acts such as HIPAA, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, Sarbanes-Oxley, and FACTA. In hard times such as recession, people sometimes do whatever they can to get by in life and crime is a byproduct of that desperation with identity theft in the forefront.

From a business owner or managerial perspective you should understand that just destroying the documents is not enough to insulate your firm, practice or company should you be sued by a victim of identity theft. Consistency and documentation are key components to a healthy records management program's ability to withstand legal scrutiny. If both are evident in the destruction program, there is little chance that it will be construed as negligent or suspicious. Allstar Secure Shred provides many services to help you maintain that consistency. By outsourcing your shredding needs and receiving a certificate of destruction for your records, you are creating a paper trail providing proof that you are in compliance.

From a consumer perspective you should familiarize yourself with how to first avoid becoming a victim of ID theft, and secondly what to do should you become a victim. Visit the Federal Trade Commission for information on both.

The Drastic Rise in Social Security Number Thefts

In the end of May 2011, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report stating that the IRS has seen a staggering jump in identity theft cases since 2008. In 2010 there were 245,000 cases of SS# theft compared to that of 52,000 in 2008, an increase of almost 5 times the 2008 amount. The cases sited by the IRS were of people using these stolen numbers to either falsely try to collect a refund or to get paid for work and avoid taxes. Unfortunately these statistics are well below the actual amount of cases because of the significant lag in the detection of these crimes.

The fact that the IRS is very limited in the amount of information they are able to divulge to the victims or even the investigating bodies based on privacy laws, makes it very difficult for the victims to resolve these issues in a timely manner.

The increase in detected cases can be traced to the increased level of technology and computer programs which can flag duplicate filings.

Here is a list from the Federal Trade Commission of the main ways Social Security Numbers are stolen:
**From workplaces
**By pay an employee who has access to these records
**Hacking into the records
**Stealing mail with personal financial information
**“Dumpster diving”
**By posing as a landlord, employer or someone else who may have a legal right to access your report
**Stealing your wallet or purse
**Completing a change of address form to divert your mail
**Posing as a legitimate company and coaxing you to reveal the information by phone, a web form or by email

At least 4 of these can be prevented by the simple act of shredding your documents. Let ALLSTAR SECURE SHRED help you protect your identity. By allowing us to securely shred your company's or you own confidential information, we can save you hours of aggravation and hundreds or thousands of dollars that would be used to rectify the situation.

Why Outsourcing Your Shredding Benefits Your Company

"My company is too small", "it costs too much", "we do it ourselves", "we don't shred", "we have to save files for 7 years". These are statements I frequently hear. The fact is that by outsourcing your shredding needs, you will increase productivity, decrease costs, become compliant, and you will be going 'green' as well when we recycle the paper post shredding.
There is no set 'scheduled service' program. You might require a monthly, a quarterly, a semi-annual or annual pick up, but by creating a consistent and documented shredding/destruction program you maintain a level of integrity that will be seen as pro-active among your peers, clients, and auditors.

Benefits of scheduled shredding service:

1. Once you analyze the cost and maintenance of the shredder on a monthly basis, time spent shredding that could otherwise be utilized handling more productive tasks, as well as employee salaries, you will most likely find that the hours and dollars spent over the course of the month could better be served elsewhere within your company.

2. There is also concern that the proper information is not always being destroyed. What one person would consider confidential, another individual may not. Having consoles placed in your space and having a scheduled service plan, you will eliminate guesswork by your employees.

3. Sometimes information is not destroyed properly because of the unwillingness of an employee to take the extra time to use the office shredder. A simple trip to the console once a day eliminates the employee’s dislike of ‘wasting’ their time at the shredder.

4. The above benefits take into consideration that your company already has a shredding program in place. Should you be considering the implementation of a program for the first time, the benefits are as simple as dollars and cents. The economical shredding program you will initiate in your office will far outweigh any fines or attorney fees accrued due to non-compliance and accusations of identity theft. It can be viewed as an insurance policy to protect yourself and your company.

Allstar Secure Shred will consult with you to create a schedule for pick up based on your company's needs. This helps us serve you in the most convenient and economical way for you and your company.
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Key Statistics Of An Individual's Identity Theft

• 11.1 MILLION adults were victims of identity theft in 2009.


• The total fraud amount was $54 BILLION.


• The average victim spends 21 hours and approximately $375 out of pocket resolving the crime.


• 13% of identity fraud crimes were committed by someone the victim knew.

Three common methods used by thieves.

1. Stealing mail from unlocked mail boxes--Think of how easy it would be for someone to snag a pre-approved credit card application from your front porch, fill it in with your name, and send it in using a different mailing address.


2. Dumpster diving--Anytime you throw out a document that has a credit card #, Social Security #, bank statement, or any other personal information, you are creating an ideal opportunity for someone to dig through your trash and get their hands on it.


3. Shoulder surfing--This occurs when someone watches over your shoulder at an ATM machine or on a checkout line at any store and steals your PIN.

Preventive methods.

1. shred your mail--Pre-approved applications, bank statements, financial dealings.


2. shred your garbage--Cancelled checks, old insurance policies, check books from inactive accounts, cancelled check, Social Security information.


3. Permanently remove your name from the pre-approved mail offer list. Call (888) 5OPT-OUT (888-567-8688), or visit www.optoutprescreen.com.


4. remove your name from direct marketing/bulk mailing lists.

Top Ten Reasons for Document Destruction
By Paul McDuffyJun 7, 2009

There are a number of reasons that companies and individuals should consider destroying sensitive documents. Here are just ten reasons why shredding documents can help keep you and your business be safe.

1. Client reassurance. If you destroy all documents containing confidential client information you can let them know that nothing that they ever disclose to you will be exposed to any kind of public scrutiny.

2. Financial security. If your competition was able to get a hold of many of the documents which disclose the financial details of your company's bank accounts it could put you at a serious disadvantage. By sticking to a strict policy of document destruction you eliminate any chance of this happening.

3. Save money. By shredding all documents that you can, you save money on storage costs and filing companies thus maximizing your profits.

4. It's the law. If you have done background checks of any kind, such as investigating criminal records or getting a copy of a credit report on any of your employees, you are legally obligated to destroy those documents.

5. Corporate espionage defense. It may seem strange, but many companies have attempted to cipher out the newest developments of their competition by sending someone dumpster diving. Destroying paperwork ensures there is nothing secret for the competition to discover.

6. Medical information. Any paperwork which contains patient or clinical clients' medical information must be destroyed to protect their privacy.

7. Keep private information private. Bank account numbers, corporate credit cards, and many other financial details are located on many different bills and invoices that your company might have to pay. Destroying all those documents ensures that those numbers stay internal to the company and don't become exposed in any way.

8. Complying with NDAs (non disclosure agreements). Many different lines of business require an NDA be signed between the business and their clients. Destroying a great deal of paperwork is a clear term in many of these types of agreements. If you didn't destroy them after agreeing to in an NDA, you could leave yourself open to a lawsuit for breeching your contract.

9. Protection from identity theft. Identity theft has been one of the fastest rising crimes in the

world. Any business today has to conduct business on the internet, which opens them up to a great deal of identity theft vulnerability. However, by concentrating on that they often ignore the vulnerabilities in their paperwork which can expose them to identity thieves. By shredding, you help to protect your company from being stolen from in this manner.

10. Staying legal. There are more laws than the above which require document destruction.