These records should always be destroyed in a way that doesn’t allow identity thieves to gain access to your personal information. Tax time is the peak season for identity theft because so many people are disposing of old records and documents. They may be useless to you, but these documents are a treasure trove to identity thieves. So the best way to get rid of them is to shred them thoroughly and completely.
You could stand in front of your office shredder all day long, but there’s often a better way to go about it. Many banks and financial institutions will host free “Shred It” events this time of year. You can take your old records to these events and they will shred them onsite to make sure they’re disposed of correctly. Frost Bank is hosting two of these events in DFW this month:
Preston Hollow Financial Center
7859 Walnut Hill Lane
Dallas, TX 75230
2:00pm – 4:00PM
The Atrium in Garland
300 N. 5th Street
Garland, TX 75040
9:00am – 11:00am
If you’re not near either of these locations, talk to your bank to find out if they plan to host something similar in your area.