10 things you should always shred to protect your personal information

Amid all the fears over identity theft, the No. 1 tip on how to avoid getting hit is always the same: Shred it.

"One of the best ways to protect your personal information from an ID thief is to shred important documents before you toss them," said Noreen Perrotta, personal finance editor for Consumer Reports magazine.

Joanne McNabb, chief of California's Office of Privacy Protection, routinely urges consumers to use a "cross-cut" shredder that slices paper both vertically and horizontally.

Don't use a shredder that only slices paper into long strips. According to McNabb's office, identity thieves have been known to painstakingly piece those strips back together to steal financial information.

But which shredder is best? To find out, Consumer Reports recently put 19 cross-cut shredders through its renowned testing lab. After feeding 25,000 pieces of paper through 19 machines, they rated and compiled their favorites.

The shredders were tested according to their claims. "If they claimed you could feed staples into it, we fed staples," she said. Same with those that advertised they could shred plastic credit cards and compact discs.

In every case, they lived up to their billing, but some performed better than others. Some were faster. Some shredded paper into tinier pieces. Some could handle more volume at a time.

The four recommended models (from Black & Decker, Go EcoLife and two from Staples) were also among the most expensive, costing between $150 and $270. They each have specialized features -- like super-sharp blades that can cut through plastic credit cards and CDs, or pullout bins to empty shredded paper, or the ability to let you load up 100 sheets of paper and walk away while they're chewed into bits.

In her own home, Perrotta said she has a far less costly model that sits on top of a wastebasket and does an admirable job.

(The complete results, which appear in Consumer Reports' December issue that's now on newsstands, can also be found online at: www.consumerreports.org )

Perrotta says a lot of folks report their shredders "burn out." Her advice: Read the manual and use a shredder the way it's meant to be used.

Burning up a shredder could be caused by trying to feed too many sheets of paper through at once. Or putting plastic gift or credit cards in a shredder that's not equipped to chew through plastic. And sometimes those clear windows on bills and bank statements could be the culprits.

Another option: a mobile shredding service that sends a truck to your home or business and shreds paper while you wait.

To find a reputable company, check if it's a member of the National Association for Information Destruction Inc., a trade association whose North American members adhere to certain guidelines. It's at www.naidonline.org .

"A lot of what happens with ID theft is out of our control," said Perrotta, like data breaches where a company's computer files are hacked. "But this is something you can control. Shredding cuts that risk of someone trying to go through your trash and steal your documents."

Here's some advice from Consumer Reports on how to handle household paperwork:

DO SHRED

-- Monthly bills

-- Receipts or paperwork showing your signature

-- Employer pay stubs and 401(k) statements

-- Expired credit cards

-- "Pre-approved" credit card offers

-- Statements from banks, credit card companies, brokers and other investments

-- Tax forms or documents more than seven years old

-- Any documents listing a password or PIN

-- Anything with your Social Security number

-- Any personal information you wouldn't want a stranger to see

MAYBE SHRED

-- All mail from your financial institution, including any change-of-term notices

-- Documents from companies you've done business with recently, including travel arrangements. (Identity thieves, pretending to be from the company, can call and try to trick you into disclosing financial info.)

TOSS, NOT SHRED

-- Mail that contains only your name/address, such as catalogs or fliers that aren't from a financial institution.

-- Junk mail addressed to "Resident" or "Occupant."

-- Glassine-style windowed envelopes.

(Contact Claudia Buck at cbuck@sacbee.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)