Hmmm, may be I should invest in a paper shredder?

Hmm, interesting. I get quite a few credit card applications and usually just tear them in half one or two times and toss them in the trash. Looks like I should be a bit more secure, like spread the pieces among various trash bins to stop the casual thief (I figure really motivated thieves will get my identity one way or another).

However, this is still quite disturbing. Credit card companies should make it a rule not to accept applications that have been torn apart and put back together via tape. One or two tears is one thing, but putting together 2 dozen pieces with tape? Come on! Plus, it doesn't get any more suspicious when both the address and phone number have been changed.

Credit companies just need to stop sending pre-approved applications....:radioacti

well, i guess i worry now more than i used to. my wife ususally sorts the mail and i know she doesn't dispose of a lot of this stuff properly.

i would either shred stuff like that, or i'd tear it up and throw some in the kitchen garbage and the rest in another can in a bathroom or something. or i'd tear it up and throw it in with the used kitty litter.


that is pretty scary, i may have to take that responsibility back.

I've used a shredder for several years now for that very reason. That story was amazing how easy it was to get a card. To make matters worse, some current unused cards come with offers that have checks attached!! Yikes! What an invitation that is for a thief. Best to be safe and destroy everything. Besides, I like using a shredder ;>)

Been shredding for a few years now. They're cheap enough. Nothing goes into the trash with any personal info on it without going through the shredder first. If it lists a name (ours or any one else's), phone, even the current address, it goes through the shredder. I am sort of paranoid though. Then shredder basket gets stirred up and only half of it goes into any single trash pick-up (talk about overly paranoid).

you need to design and patent a portable incinerator.

After reading that I realise I'm concerned enough to go out and buy a small shredder.

hmm, I haven't received any forms like that in a while.

Incinerating them would be a good option - and a good reason to start a small fire.

Other good options may include:
•scrunching it up to become a chew toy for a pet
•shredding it or tearing it up, then gluing the remains together to form a ball of papery evil. Add to it each time you get a new application form.
•origami! (or perhaps papier mache)

anyone else got any crazy disposal methods?

besides the cat litter?

eric said:

you need to design and patent a portable incinerator.

Click to expand...

Sounds good, but then I'd have to actually do some work.

My wife and I shred EVERYTHING! Anything that has any personal information of any sort (bills, bank statements, credit card statements, insurance info, anything!) gets shredded.

BTW, get a good cross cut shredder, not just a strip shredder. It is too easy to re-assemble strip shredded stuff. The cross cut ones chop things up into little squares - nearly impossible to recover any useful information.

mac57 said:

My wife and I shred EVERYTHING! Anything that has any personal information of any sort (bills, bank statements, credit card statements, insurance info, anything!) gets shredded.

BTW, get a good cross cut shredder, not just a strip shredder. It is too easy to re-assemble strip shredded stuff. The cross cut ones chop things up into little squares - nearly impossible to recover any useful information.

Click to expand...

Definitely a crosscut - got mine for about $35, 3 or 4 years ago now. Worth the money for the peace of mind nowadays. Never know who your neighbors really are any more.

Update: Just talked to a woman whose job is stolen identity recovery. She told us some hair-raising stories! According to her there's no such thing as being overly protective about our info (even downright paranoid). Definitely a cross cut shredder should be used or burn everything. Those crooks out there are quite smart and the bad part is most people, according to the stats, don't find out about stolen id's for 12-18 months. A lot of damage can be done by then. Dang...what a world!

In addition to the shredder, I'd highly recommend everyone opt-out of these offers in the first place:

https://www.optoutprescreen.com/

I send all credit card apps back to the company that sends them to me! A year ago I read an interesting article about doing this because the companies don't pay for the postage unless the enclosed envalope is mailed. So I take all the junk they send me, including the envalope it was sent in, stuff it in the enclosed envalope and send it back.

I realize that the postage is a drop in the bucket to them, but it's just fun and a little satisfying to send their own junk mail back to them.

That's a great idea. This would fill their trash instead of mine. Wonder what the drawback would be? Maybe they'd throw it in their regular trash instead of shredding it?

I worked in a hotel where we had strict rules about destroying any material that carried guests' personal information; and that was just a hotel. I would hope a credit card company would have exteremely well-defined and closely monitored and executed procedures for handling customers' personal information. But, you know people.

My family lives on a farm, and we burn basically all our trash, except the non-burnable stuff that goes in on of several trash cans that go to the dump every few months.

Garbage service doesn't come out this far.

There were two women, who looked Hispanic, going through my trash bin (on the curb) one day last month when I drove into the driveway! I've been shredding things for some time now, so I was unconcerned about them digging through banana peels, tea bags and discarded pizza boxes. But the nerve they had... in broad daylight! Is it illegal to search through other's garbage?

One man trash, is another mans treasure. I hope they were looking for cans.