What Receipts Are Safe to Throw Away? Which Should You Shred?
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Most businesses and homes accumulate mountains of paper over time, from employee and customer records to invoicing, financial, and record keeping. When it comes to receipts, it can be difficult to know which ones are safe to throw away, what you should keep, and which ones you should shred.
Since the Supreme Court ruled that anyone and everyone is free to search through your trash and recyclables once materials are placed on or in a public space, it pays to safeguard any information that could lead to a breach of security, whether personal or related to your business. Here are some guidelines you can follow to prevent the data located on your receipts from falling into the hands of thieves and keep your private information secure.
For additional questions regarding what to shred and what not to shred, give our team a call at (888) 750-8783 or contact us online. We are the leading document destruction company serving the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas.
Should You Shred Your Receipts?
There are several schools of thought regarding what to do with old receipts, as most contain little personal information, much of which is easily accessible through other means, or a truncated series of numbers. Unfortunately, this is all some thieves need to get started and, in this case, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Is it Safe to Shred Receipts?
Yes, and experts state that it is safe to throw away receipts only if they contain no personal information whatsoever, such as a grocery or coffee shop receipt. However, there are exceptions to even those rules—here’s what receipts you should shred:
- ATM receipts
- Bank statements
- Credit card receipts
- Credit card statements
- Grocery or other store receipts with identifying information (such as a loyalty program number)
- Receipts containing your name, address, and/or phone number
- Receipts with a truncated credit card or Social Security number
- Receipts containing your bank account number
- Receipts with your signature
- Used airline tickets
If you’re looking for shredding services in the Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD & Virginia areas, contact our shredding professionals at TrueShred online or give us a call at (888) 750-8783.
Shredding 101 Process
Knowing the best way to shred personal or business receipts and other sensitive information is just as important as knowing what to shred. While a personal or office shredder may seem like the perfect solution for these often-tiny slips of paper, personal shredders are ineffective at best, as remains can often be pieced together by thieves, leaving your information to be used against you. The solution? Secure document destruction from TrueShred.
Our process begins when customers select one-time or ongoing shredding services. One-time shredding is ideal for individuals or businesses with a stockpile of receipts, documents, files, or other sensitive data, oftentimes at the end of a retention period or after a large purge.
For ongoing shredding services, TrueShred will place a number of locked consoles or bins throughout your facility, so you can safely deposit receipts or other documentation, which will remain secure until your scheduled appointment time.
Regardless of the frequency of service, your documents and other materials such as credit cards, CD-ROMs, and DVDs are destroyed safely and securely, following a strict chain of custody from start to finish:
- A uniformed employee arrives at your home or place of business and collects the information to be shredded. At no time are your materials touched by hand.
- Documents are loaded into the on-site, state-of-the-art shredding truck, shredded, and mixed in with other materials—you are welcome to view this process via a closed-circuit monitor.
- You will be issued a Certificate of Destruction, meeting all standards of compliance.
- Shredded materials are recycled to make new paper products, reducing your impact on the environment.
To learn more about our shredding process or our commercial and residential shredding services in the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas, contact us online or give TrueShred professionals a call at (888) 750-8783.
Secure Shredding Services in Metro DC
When you need confidential document destruction in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, contact TrueShred online or call (888) 750-8783. We look forward to serving your shredding needs—and keeping you in compliance!
”I have worked with several document destruction companies over the past ten years and until contracting with TrueShred, I hadn’t met a company with which I felt so compelled to share with professional colleagues. TrueShred’s personnel are always polite, considerate, timely and attentive. . . I trust all of my future shredding needs to TrueShred!”
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