Five Reasons to Buy a Paper Shredder By Jeff McRitchie At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Paper shredders are becoming more common not just in the copy rooms of big corporations, but also in private residences and small businesses. And it's not only due to their omnipresence at office retailers and big-box department stores. In the age of the Internet, easy credit, and environmental awareness, more and more people are becoming concerned with protecting their personal information and reducing the amount of trash they produce. A paper shredder is a great tool to use in the fight against fraud while helping the environment at the same time, and they've become increasingly popular, topping $350 million per year in sales. But do you really need one? The short answer is yes. But why? Read on to discover the top five reason for buying a paper shredder. Some of them may surprise you.

1. Identity theft. In our current credit-based world, identity theft is unfortunately a very common crime, with almost 9 million people becoming victims of it every year. One way to protect yourself against identity theft is by destroying any papers that contain your personal information. If the thieves can't get your name and other important information, then your odds of becoming a victim have dramatically decreased.

2. Credit card theft. When you throw out credit card statements and receipts, do you even think about what will happen after those papers go into the trash? If you're one of the unlucky ones, a criminal can get your credit card numbers - and possibly even your passwords. And don't think that simply tearing up this information by hand can protect you because the pieces can be easily put back together. The best way to prevent identity and credit card theft is to run your papers through a shredder before disposing of them. (Can you imagine a thief trying to piece together pages upon pages of shredded documents? Seems unlikely, huh?)

3. New laws. Most people want to comply with the law, especially business owners. A new provision to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) requires employers to destroy confidential employee information, even if said employer only has one employee, such as a gardener or nanny. By not obeying this new privacy law, an employer may face a lawsuit or even prosecution.

4. The environment. We all need to pitch in and do our part to help the earth, and one of the best ways to do that is by recycling. Shredding paper often facilitates recycling and with some recycling companies offering a modest sum to environmentally conscious consumers, now's the perfect time to invest in a shredder.

5. Peace of mind. Protecting your name, credit, assets, and privacy is important. Using a paper shredder to destroy your sensitive information is one of the best ways to protect yourself.

Now that you know the top five reasons for purchasing a paper shredder, you should also know that shredders are available in every price range, with many different features and sizes available. Whether you're an individual looking for a small capacity shredder to get rid of those pesky credit card offers or a multi-national corporation needing to safely discard a large volume of confidential information, there's a shredder out there for you. Protect yourself and your valuables today: buy a paper shredder.

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