Helpful Suggestions from a Reliable Shredding Company 

Summer vacation season is upon us. Now is the time for employees to leave work and head out to fun destinations with their families. They have worked and waited for the best time to enjoy the sun and new adventures all year. They have also spent many days working hard and keeping track of records and documents, ensuring that things get shredded or stored correctly. This diligence shouldn’t stop because they are off the clock. Identity thieves will stop at nothing to get what they want and quickly undermine a family’s well-deserved time off. Before you or your employees head out for vacation, take steps to secure documents, and prevent identity theft.

6 Suggestions to Avoid Identity Theft

Cybercriminals don’t care if you have spent all year waiting for a vacation. They want to take advantage of your off-guard time. Don’t let them! Use these six suggestions to avoid having your identity stolen:

1. Save social media posts for when you return home. Vacations are a time of fun and adventure with your family and friends. You may be tempted to share with others on social media, but waiting until you get back home is a better idea. Thieves love to use ‘old school’ ways of accessing your identity, including dumpster diving, and knowing when you will be out of your home. So, save all those photos for your social media feed when you return.
2. Alert your bank and credit card companies before you leave. It is important to let your bank and credit card companies know when you will be traveling. They do an excellent job of watching for suspicious activity during the ordinary course of business. This additional step will help them protect you even more.
3. Take only the cards and cash you need. Limit your identity theft risk by only taking the cards you need for your trip. For example, if you have five credit cards but only use two, leave the other three locked up at home.
4. Practice situational awareness at ATMs and gas pumps. Skimmers are everywhere, and thieves are ready to watch what you are doing on the keypad. When using an ATM or gas pump, note who is near you and what they are doing. If things look suspicious, go elsewhere. You may also want only to use a credit card at the pump as you generally have better protection from a credit card company.
5. Set up a VPN before connecting to public Wi-Fi. Public Wi-Fi networks are a cyberthief’s playground. Refuse to participate in their game of cat and mouse by setting up a VPN (virtual private network) on your phone and laptop. This will help you stay safer when online in public.
6. Secure your devices and back up your data. Keeping your phone and laptop secure while on vacation is paramount to having a better trip. One slip-up and you will be out a smartphone. If that laptop is the company’s, your boss may not be pleased. Be sure to use complex passwords and consider changing them before leaving and when you return.

Crown Information Management Helps You Keep Records Safe All Year Long

We all need time to relax and enjoy life. Having to be on guard against identity thieves is frustrating. Crown Information Management makes things much easier for you and your office. We offer secure onsite shredding and offsite records storage. In addition, we are NAID AAA and PCI Certified. We believe in saving you time and money with all our services, including shredding, hard drive destruction, and records storage. Give us a call today to find out more.

For timely destruction of documents, products, and hard drives, and secure, pest-free storage with a SOC1 Report,NAID AAA, and PCI Certified company, call Crown Information Management at 800-979-9545. You can also contact us online to learn more about our document storage and shredding services.