Identity theft is real and it does happen. Thank fully we have been lucky and not had any problems. One way to avoid identity theft is by shredding your personal papers. I’m bad about that. Or I was bad about that. We received the Fellows Power Shred 63Cb Shredder to review. My husband was very excited as he has been wanting to get a shredder for a while now.
The Fellows Power Shred 63Cb Shredder perfect for a home office. It’s not huge but not small either and it’s very sturdy. It’s all in one, meaning that the collection basket is connected to the actual shredder. It also features Fellowes’ Jam Blocker technology, which blocks jams before they start. The shredder will automatically stop shredding when hands touch the paper opening using SafeSence Technology. Which nice to know when you have little ones trying it out.
You can shred paper, credit cards, staples and small paper clips. I had no idea it could shred the credit cards. That’s really cool. You can shred up to 10 sheets at a time. The Heavy Duty Cross-Cut Blades cut one sheet of paper into 302 particles, which would make it very hard t piece back together. My daughter had a great time testing it out….
It worked just as expected. We tried envelopes and paper and cards. All with no problems.
The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) has seen a dramatic increase in IRS-related identity theft cases during key tax filing months as compared to previous years. Specifically, the ITRC received almost 77 percent more cases in 2012 than in 2010 and during the three years incidences of identity theft were highest during the key tax filing months of February and March.
A lot of information changes hands during tax season, which is why we believe we see so many IRS-related identity theft cases this time of year,” said Eva Valasquez, President and CEO of the ITRC. “And although more and more people are now e-filing, we still need to be cautious of how we are protecting information offline.”
The Identity Theft Resource Center recommends taking steps to safeguard your entire tax filing process to ensure you’re protected from the crime. From installing a firewall on your computer, to storing important files in a fireproof lockbox and shredding no-longer-needed documents, it’s important to stop identity thieves in their tracks along the way.
Below are the Identity Theft Resource Center’s identity theft prevention tips for tax season:
Tax Time Tips
- Install a firewall on your computer and change passwords frequently using a combination of letters, numbers and symbols
- Select tax preparation software carefully if you intend to do your own tax return
- File at the earliest time possible allowed by the IRS
- Send completed tax returns via a U.S. Postal Office. Mailing from home exposes your tax returns to potential risk
- Do not send sensitive documents/information over unprotected e-mail
- Never file your electronic tax return using an unsecured public WiFi connection. A secure site will have its address begin with https:// rather than http://
- Throughout the year, store sensitive tax season documents in a fireproof, locked cabinet
- Shred no-longer-needed tax documents with a Cross-Cut shredder.
The 63Cb is available at www.Amazon.com, www.OfficeDepot.com and www.OfficeMax.com for a suggested retail price of $149.99
One other tip for us recyclers out there. You can use your shredded paper in your compost. It will break down and never leave your yard!!
Do you have a shedder? Have you ever been a victim of Identity Theft?
I received the above product to review. Opinions are my own.
Thankfully we have not, phew! We do have a shredder and use it for most everything.
Our shredder broke, so we do need a new one. And *knocks wood*, I’ve not been a victim of identity theft.
I really need to make the plunge and purchase a shredder to make sure we’re fully protected.
Great advice!
This such a scary fear to,have your identity stolen. It seems that you can shred everything and still be electronically vulnerable. I mean those hackers even got into the White House’s twitter account. I just always hope no one wants the little I have
That is one hefty shredder. It’s scary that someone can do things like that. I haven’t had identity theft but have had them make charges to my accounts before …
we have a Fellows paper shredder too, my husband is huge on shredding everything with our names and addresses on them, this does the trick!
We do use a shredder. I’m really obsessive about not throwing anything away with personal details on it
We had identity theft once, some guy got my husbands debit card number and was using it in Texas while we were in Kansas. No idea how he was doing it cause it wasn’t online purchases, and my husband still had his card in his possession. But thankfully our bake helped us catch it and reverted all the charges.
I wish we had a nice shredder like this one! Ours is way too small and only does one paper at a time.