Let’s get the new year started with a review of the basics for identity theft detection.  There are many ways that you might discover someone is using your information:

• You see withdrawals from your bank account that you can’t explain.
• You don’t get your bills or other mail.
• Merchants refuse your checks.
• Debt collectors call you about debts that aren’t yours.
• You find unfamiliar accounts or charges on your credit report.
• Medical providers bill you for services you didn’t use.
• Your health plan rejects your legitimate medical claim because the records show you’ve reached your benefits limit.
• A health plan won’t cover you because your medical records show a condition you don’t have.
• The IRS notifies you that more than one tax return was filed in your name, or that you have income from an employer you don’t work for.
• You get notice that your information was compromised by a data breach at a company where you do business or have an account.

If you see one of these warning signs of identity theft, act quickly. Taking these steps will help you limit the damage.

1. Call the companies where you know or suspect fraud occurred.
2. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports and get copies of your report.
3. Report identity theft to the FTC.
4. File a report with your local police department.

Then, take a deep breath and begin to repair the damage. Depending on your situation, your next step might be closing accounts opened in your name, or reporting fraudulent charges to your credit card company. There are some good resources at IdentityTheft.gov.

Another great resource is www.hvshred.com; we can help securely dispose of your confidential data.

We are so excited for our new name and new horizons I am posting the news 2 weeks in a row.

Like each year before it since we incorporated in 2007, 2015 has been our best year yet!

We shred and recycled enough confidential paperwork to protect over 20,000 trees and nearly 4000 cubic feet of landfill.  That’s over 45% more than 2014.

As Legal Shred, we will surely surpass those numbers and hit another record in 2016.

Whether you’ve been a client since the beginning or just joined us recently; whether you have used our service just once or twice or on a weekly, monthly, or on-call basis, we are grateful for your support.

In 2016, we will continue to deliver heartfelt, relationship-focused service. Ensuring security, compliance, and sustainability for the business and local community is our top priority. Our team of professionals will provide secure data destruction to safeguard confidentiality and preserve the environment through recycling. We are the identity protection company who puts the confidence in confidential.

One thing is changing…to facilitate our growth, we are transcending our HV Shred cocoon and renaming ourselves Legal Shred of the Hudson Valley. This will help us grow into neighboring markets north, south, east, and west spreading our brand beyond our hometown.

As president, I am still at your service and always welcome your feedback, questions, and concerns.

We consider our clients part of our extended family and look forward to continuing to grow and improve with your support and partnership.

Happy New Year–and please let us know what we can do better and what we can offer to satisfy all your data security needs!

More information www.hvshred.com

Like each year before it since we incorporated in 2007, 2015 has been our best year yet!

Whether you’ve been a client since the beginning or just joined us recently; whether you have used our service just once or twice or on a weekly, monthly, or on-call basis, we are grateful for your support.

In 2016, we will continue to deliver heartfelt, relationship-focused service. Ensuring security, compliance, and sustainability for the business and local community is our top priority. Our team of professionals will provide secure data destruction to safeguard confidentiality and preserve the environment through recycling. We are the identity protection company who puts the confidence in confidential.

One thing is changing…to facilitate our growth, we are transcending our HV Shred cocoon and renaming ourselves Legal Shred of the Hudson Valley. This will help us grow into neighboring markets north, south, east, and west spreading our brand beyond our hometown.

As president and owner, I am still at your service and always welcome your feedback, questions, and concerns.
We consider each of our clients part of our extended family and look forward to continuing to grow and improve with your support and partnership.

Happy New Year to all!

HV Shred will now operate as Legal Shred as we expand our family beyond the borders of the Hudson Valley region.

This last calendar month of the year and going into the first calendar month of 2016 is a good time to reflect and take stock of your record keeping process. Every business has the responsibility to safely and securely store and dispose of personally identifying private information. Not to mention, the huge legal liability in the face of HIPPA, Gramm-Leach Bliley and the whole alphabet soup of federal and state legislation that holds businesses accountable.

There are a variety of privacy concerns to consider, in addition to setting the clients’ minds at ease. When it comes to document destruction and shredding services, the best way to ensure simplicity and quality is to hire an outside firm to shred your sensitive papers. For professionals such as lawyers, physicians, and accountants, the easiest and most efficient method happens to be the method required by federal law.

A company that uses a mobile document shredding unit is the best available, since the document destruction capabilities go wherever they’re needed. No matter your business, no matter the location, a mobile shredding service can handle the task for you.

When hiring a document shredding firm, be sure to ask whether it’s necessary for you to prepare the documents for destruction – and if it is, keep looking. The most efficient way to eliminate old documents and expired paperwork is to simply hand them over to the professionals in charge of shredding. Spending hours removing every paper clip, rubber band and staple isn’t a good use of your company’s time, so make sure the shredding-and-baling unit your document destruction firm uses is a powerful one.

If your firm generates a substantial amount of paperwork every week, it might be a good idea to hire a document destruction company that makes regular pickups. Many companies will provide disposal bins, complete with lock and key. Schedule a regular pickup time, and make sure to have one or two employees serve as a regular liaison to the document destruction firm’s representatives. Your clients’ privacy will be worth it.

HV Shred can service all of your mobile document destruction needs. We offer same-day and next-day service, as well as routine service without hidden fees or surcharges. Our document shredding and mobile document shredding practices all conform to shredding regulations outlined in HIPAA, GLBA, and FACTA

For more on best practices in identity theft protection and navigating the alphabet soup of legislation, please visit www.hvshred.com

We are full force into the 2015 Holiday Season and we got an early gift of our busiest November yet.  Over the course of the month of November, thanks to the support of the local business community, HV Shred helped shred and recycle enough paper to protect over 1500 trees and nearly 300 cubic yards of landfill.

Protecting identities and the environment are our top priorities.

Our mission is clear:  We are dedicated to delivering heartfelt, relationship focused service ensuring security, compliance, and sustainability for the business and local community. Secured data destruction customized and executed with appreciation and enthusiasm by our hand-picked, fully vetted team of professionals to safeguard confidentiality as well as protect and preserve the environment. We are the identity protection company who puts the confidence in confidential.

For resources and results for all manner of things related to identity theft protection and best practices in the realm of securely destroying and disposing confidential data, please visit www.hvshred.com

Thanksgiving officially kicks off the holiday season highlighted by Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.  This week’s blog is adapted from one of our favorite on line safety resources–OnGuard Online produced by the FTC.  Yes, Cyber Monday promises unbelievable savings – but before commencing your shopping, here are some tips to help you save money and protect your personal information:

Know the seller and the item. Put the company or product name in a search engine, along with “review,” “complaint,” or “scam.” Read the reviews. Be sure you can contact the seller if you have a dispute.

Avoid clicking links in emails. Scammers know it’s Cyber Monday, too. Their phishing scams are after your money or personal information. If an unexpected email promises awesome online deals, don’t click on those embedded links. Check out the company first, confirm its web address, and type it in yourself.

Pay by credit card. Credit cards give you extra protections – like the right to dispute charges and temporarily withhold payment during an investigation. Whatever the deal might be, never mail cash or wire money to online sellers. And if a company insists you only pay with a gift card, it’s probably a scam.

Ensure happy returns. What are the site’s return or exchange policies? Is there a re-stocking fee?

Have a safe checkout. Look for a URL that starts with https. (The ‘s’ stands for secure). If there’s no ‘s,’ if you have doubts, or if you’re asked to email payment info, leave the site.

Keep records. Print or save records of online transactions until you get the goods. Keep the product description and price, receipt, return policy, and any emails related to your purchase.

For more on best practices in all things related to identity theft, please visit www.hvshred.com

the Department of Homeland Security recently had a valuable post regarding best practices related to staying protected in our increasingly connected mode of living.

In his October, 2015 blog, Andy Ozment, Assistant Secretary, Cybersecurity and Communications observed that most of us have developed a very close relationship with our mobile devices: we carry them with us throughout the day, check them frequently, and even sleep with them nearby at night. Although mobile devices allow us to instantly connect with friends and family, to access the internet, get directions, and make purchases, this increased convenience also comes at an increased risk. Many of these online activities require us to provide personal information such as our name, email address, account number, and credit card information. This puts us at an increased risk of having this information compromised by cyber criminals.

In his role as Assistant Secretary, Cybersecurity and Communications at The Department of Homeland Security he urged all Americans to follow these simple steps to ensure the security of their personal information online:

• Keep your private information private. Avoid sharing your full name, address, and other personal information online. Frequently check a website’s privacy options to ensure you have enabled the highest level of privacy as options may get updated or changed completely.
• When in doubt, throw it out. Links in emails, tweets, posts, and online advertisements are often how cybercriminals compromise your computer or mobile device. If it looks suspicious, it’s best to delete it, even if you know the source. If appropriate, mark the message as “junk email” so that future messages from the sender do not end up in your inbox.
• Set strong passwords. Setting passwords that are long, unique, and hard to guess is one of the most important things you can do to protect your online accounts. Changing passwords regularly and using different passwords for different accounts goes a long way to protecting your online information.
• Secure your accounts. Ask for protection beyond passwords. Many websites now offer additional ways for you verify your identity are before you conduct business on their sites, such as two-factor authentication.
• Secure your mobile device. In order to prevent theft and unauthorized access, use a passcode to lock your mobile device and always lock it when it’s not in use. Never leave your mobile device unattended in a public place.

For more on identity theft best practices please visit www.hvshred.com