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.
