Too shred or not to shred?

Question

Are you concerned about Identity Fraud. Are we redused to tearing up every bit of corrispondence tha comes through our letter box. I know I think twice about thowing away bank statements etc! Crime always keep up with the times, Is the issue all about greed and the Look after No: one syndrom. When we are borbarded with signs of great wealth every day for the few through the media are we being unrealistic to expect the rest of the population that dont have the wealth or advantages of others not to aspire to something better for them and theirs. So are we as a nation being naive to expect that our citazens of all cultures and backgrounds should,nt turn to crimes and take advantage of the new era of technoligy. Surely the anwser is a more equal sociaty. As allways there does,nt seem to be an easy answer. Are we being forced into a way of living that we cant ever trust anyone or anything.

Answer 1

I shred, without fail!

Answer 2

Yes, it's a major issue & causes the unfortunate victims horrendous problems getting credit, sometimes many years later. Most of the people this happens to are hardworking, good credit record etc but woefully ignorant about the risks of identity theft.

If I were you I would buy a shredder & shred anything with your name on it, then just for good measure, empty into a rubbish bag filled with coffee grains/mouldy food/anything slimey & gross !!!
You can also get a credit check report from Experian or other such company for a fairly small fee if concerned.

Yes crime does keep up with technology & we are constantly bombarded with images of wealth & we have been forced into a way of living where we should be very careful of who we trust.

However your suggestion of a more 'equal society' sounds a bit like communism to me & recent history shows that that hasn't necessarily been a roaring success either, which I'm sure you're familiar with but if not http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism or read George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' - still a great book.

If you are disillusioned with the state of the nation then maybe look for some of the really good people out there who spend their lives trying to help & educate others - there are plenty of them, unfortunately they don't make the news headlines as nearly as much as some of the idiots who do ....

Answer 3

Yes I see where you are going, its more than just shredding.

We are constantly reminded that the country is in fantastic financial shape. Yet we see crime rates rising and more and more back door taxes ( from parking to astronomical council tax and the cost of having to pay privately to see a dentist)

Money has to come from somewhere and given the opportunities people will take them............so shred shred shred and think of it as the government when you put it in the machine

Answer 4

My gerbils got all my bank statements, etc etc. They spent happy hours shredding away and making nests. Now they've gone to the great desert in the sky, I bought a shredder.
It's not because I'm of a suspicious nature, it is because I know it does happen. Probably won't happen to me and I'm very happy about that. It's the same reason I lock my doors. To keep the burglars out.
And I don't now about you, but in this country, I don't know many poor people. Greedy and dishonest yes, but poor? No.

Answer 5

I am afraid that wherever humans exist, so does the desire to take from others, however that may be. It's just that in modern times, you don't always have to rob with violence ... you can simply hook up with someone else's ID and take from them .... be it cheque fraud, card cloning, stolen credit/debit cards, on line fraud ... whatever. So the message is absolutely clear ... shred everything with your name and personal details on ... those people that simply admit to 'binning' deserve to get ripped off. But even shredded material can sometimes be reconstituted if the villain has enough patience ... so you must shred and separate at all times .... like shuffling cards! Its up to you and only you to protect yourself.

Answer 6

I shred meticulously. I kind of enjoy it and it hardly takes a second. Having said that, someone has still managed to get my name, date of birth and internet banking number and sent me a letter on my bank's headed paper asking for my password.

I don't think it's a question of not being able to trust anyone but it would be pretty stupid to trust everyone wouldn't it?

Answer 7

No, you are not reduced to tearing everything up. There are services that will do the shredding for you. Now you will have more time to work on the problem of social inequity.

Answer 8

Had a letter recently from the Tax people recently advising me someone had tried to replicate / clone my identity and that they had put additional "Safeguards" in place to prevent a "Repeat".

Scary Biscuits

So I would advise shred like your life depends on it - because it really does

Answer 9

anything with your bank details, address or name is a prime target for identity fraudsters, how would you like a second mortgage without even knowing how you came by the details? In this day and age, anything, and I mean anything with your persoinal details is a target, shred or burn, either way, the fraudsters can't get their hands on you, and can't run up debts in your name!

Answer 10

Shred, and when you have a bag full take it to the pet shop, they always need some for the pet cages.

Answer 11

Trust nobody shred everthing ist better to be safe than sorry.