When I took over the operations of my CPA firm in 2003 one of the first issues I tackled was identify theft. I wanted to understand what our existing policies were and how we could improve upon them. Of particular concern to me was the fact that some of the measures that were in place for discarding documents were actually creating significant risk to the firm. There was no shredding, on site, of our documents. These documents included personal and very private data concerning our clients. Anyone could have gained access to this information if they had the motivation to do so. To remedy this I considered my options, which were to buy a high powered shredder and employ our internal resources to shred the documents. Another option was to secure an outside third party. I opted for an outside vendor. But which one? Cost, of course was a consideration, but I did not want my decision to be a cost-driven one.
In deciding upon a vendor to shred your documents there are certain variables you need to consider:

1. Does the vendor shred the documents on site? This is critical. If they do not, look for a vendor that does.
2. Another consideration is whether their on-site employees are bonded. In layman's terms, this means they have been vetted and do not have any criminal records and, to boot, the vendor secures an insurance company to bond them, in the event of something going wrong.
3. Do you receive a written confirmation upon completion of the shredding that the documents have been shredded? This is an important document and will be particularly valuable in the unlikely event you need to defend yourself in a court of law.
4. Does the vendor conduct annual on-site audits? This is important in determining if everything is functioning as it should. Any issues can be addressed at least annually through these annual audits.

    After researching various vendors I determined that the best in the business was a company called Shred-it. I had heard of them previously and their reputation was outstanding, so I decided to secure their services and, six years later, I look back at that decision as one of my finest. You can check them out at: www.shredit.com or call Tammy Bright at 973-885-5160.

I hope this helps you in securing your client/customer data from identity theft. Reach out to me at tom@cerefice.com, if you would like more information.