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If you leave a trail, criminals will follow it

Paper records and electronics contain personal information that can be stolen and used for fraudulent activities if not disposed of properly.

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Criminals will steal your information if you let them. Just one or two pieces of personal information left in an office recycling or trash bin is all that is required to steal an identity. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Identity theft — these two words strike a loud and lasting chord of fear at every insurance agency. Today, when the criminally intent are craftier than ever, it’s a must to take every precaution and that includes the secure destruction of paper documents and portable electronic devices at the end of their usefulness.

Most of what we hear on the news deals with IT cyberthreats, but the very same potential for human error that leads to cyberhacking also exists for sensitive information stored on paper. It does seem that we’re moving toward a “paperless” state, but there are still many instances where highly sensitive information is stored in a paper format. Just one or two pieces of personal information left in an office recycling or trash bin are all that is required to steal an identity.

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