Any professional shredding service that stands behind its work and is committed to offering solutions that benefit the customer, will supply their client with a Certificate of Destruction following a shredding job. What is this exactly? Perhaps you’ve never paid much attention to whether you received this document, or maybe you thought this was a standard receipt? In any case, it is important to understand the significance behind this document to protect yourself from unwanted fines or the risk of bad publicity. Failure to understand the importance of this document could be a costly mistake for your business.
So, what does this document represent? A Certificate of Destruction is typically given to the client by a shredding company following the completion of a shredding service. It serves as a guarantee that all paperwork has been shred to specification, and that the company stands behind the quality and security of its work. Usually included in this Certificate is the date of the job, the name of the driver or machine operator, and the name of any witnesses who watched the shredding take place (particularly the case if the shredding was carried out on-site.)
Not receiving a Certificate of Destruction should raise some red flags. For starters, it doesn’t communicate that the service provider necessarily guarantees its professional work. Certificates of Destruction are always issued among professional document shredders practicing the highest level of industry standards, and anyone who doesn’t provide one is out of the norm.
Secondly, should information breach occur involving your business and/or client, or if there is accusation of data mismanagement (perhaps under legislation’s such as FACTA and HIPAA,) there is nothing for the client to stand behind that guarantees all security efforts were in place during the destruction process. While it is unlikely that a document destruction company won’t shred your documents properly, mistakes happen and there is always room for unfortunate error to take place. The Certificate gives clients a means to stand behind, shifting accountability to the document shredding company. This may be the biggest reason that as a customer, you should never settle for a company that fails to issue you this document.
Legislation’s like FACTA and HIPAA outline how sensitive documents should be managed and disposed of legally so that you are not held liable should information be stolen or misused. Potentially sensitive information must be protected while in storage and through until disposal to remain compliance with such laws.
- For healthcare businesses, HIPAA is a critical piece of legislation to keep in mind concerning all aspects of health procedures and day to day processes.
- Most businesses should also be aware of what FACTA means and how such policies pertain to their business processes. Particularly this legislation is in place to govern the management of consumer information, with the goal of preventing identity theft and consumer fraud.
If you are researching reliable shredding services in the Boston region that will stand behind their work, or your current provider isn’t supplying you with a Certificate of Destruction and you are looking to change companies because of it, A1 DATASHRED is your trusted source! You may choose from onsite or offsite document shredding, and it is up to you how often or how little you wish to use our service. We won’t tie you in to long-term contracts. Need regular shredding services? We will be there! Only require a one-time purge job? We will get it done just as efficiently! We’ll work with you to determine your unique needs, deciding on a shredding option that is most suited to YOU.
Get in touch for additional information on our convenient shredding services.
Call 1-888-95-SHRED
The holiday season is here! With all the hustle and bustle of shopping, holiday parties and gift exchanges, it can be easy to get caught up in the excitement and we don’t blame you! One thing that is vital to remember during all of this, however, is that there is an increased risk of identity theft and theft in general around this time.
Thieves are fully aware of the fact that throughout the holiday season, shoppers are out in the highest numbers of the year making more purchases than ever, some potentially high ticketed items on top of this! It is essentially a gold mine for thieves if shoppers aren’t careful. for Due to the significant volume of shopping that takes place, there are more opportunities for thieves to enter your vacant home; stealing gifts, credit cards, wallets, you name it. Whatever juicy material they can get their hands on, this is the time it is likely to happen over any other time of the year.
Thankfully, there are lots of ways you can reduce the risk of an identity theft, or common theft, from ruining your holiday celebrations:
- Think through the situation with your spare key. Thieves know where these are commonly hidden. With that said, think of it from their perspective and hide your spare key in a spot that isn’t easy to access or guess. Avoid hiding your key under the doormat or flower pot, as these spots are quick to discover.
- Always know exactly where your wallet and purse are. Shopping malls are extremely hectic this time of year and long lineups mixed with large crowds can cause distraction you normally wouldn’t be faced with. With distraction comes silly mistakes like leaving your wallet at the cash, or dropping your purse and forgetting what store it is in. Pick pocketing is elevated this time of year; don’t fall victim.
- Keep your receipts somewhere safe until you are ready to dispose of them securely, through shredding. Never rid of receipts in the recycling or garbage prior to destroying them first. Why? Receipts carry vital personal information that can provide someone with the details needed to carry out a crime or compromise your credit card.
- Use your credit card whenever possible. If you use cheques and debit cards instead, your bank account is exposed which could lead to trouble. If you happen to use your card in a fraudulent machine, it may be a challenging process to get your money back. Credit cards, on the other hand, won’t withdraw funds from your bank account, and there’s no risk they will expose your bank account details either. You might also have more time to catch fraudulent transactions with credit cards as opposed to debit/cheques.
- After the holidays, be sure to regularly review your statements when they come in through the mail or online. Because on average consumers shop more frequently during the holidays, your statements will be extra lengthy. Don’t let fraudulent transactions slip through the cracks because it is too much information to sort through. Take the time to pay close attention to these details, even if it seems unnecessary.
- Take extra caution when shopping online. Be sure to check the website’s reputation and security credentials. And lastly; if you see a deal that is too good to be true, there’s a good chance it is!
Don’t fall victim to identity theft; take extra steps to remain secure and safe throughout the holiday season. Nobody wants to be a victim of theft, especially over the holiday season when it should be a joyous and happy time!
From the entire A1 DATASHRED team, we wish you a wonderful and happy Holiday Season and best wishes for the New Year ahead!