There once was a time when protecting your personal information was barely a concern. That time is long past, and securing your identifiable information is a bigger and much more difficult challenge now. With information being available on paper and in digital format, the gaps are larger and more numerous.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is information that directly identifies an individual (their name, address, social security number or other identifying number or code, telephone number, email address, etc.) or the identity of specific individuals in conjunction with other data elements (a combination of gender, race, birth date, geographic indicator, and other descriptors). This information can be maintained on paper, electronic, or other media such as microfiche.
To successfully manage your personal data, you need to identify the potential threats and institute solutions to try and avoid them.
Attacks on Your Personal Information
Loss
The digital age was intended to eliminate the consumption of paper, but that didn’t happen. We still tend to keep personal information written on paper, and by doing that, it can be misplaced. And even in a digital world, we still carry around a pocket full of physical information like our passport, driver’s license, credit cards, health cards, and more. When your wallet is misplaced, you have lost your most precious cargo and at the same time, someone else has obtained everything they need to steal your identity and cash.
Expired identification documents replaced by newer ones are at higher risk of getting lost. When documents aren’t regularly used, they aren’t protected as much and are more likely to be lost in the shuffle of papers when cleaning or moving. It is important to dispose of outdated documents by shredding them to a point they are no longer readable. Digital information can accidently be deleted or corrupted, making backups a vital safety net.
Theft
If your wallet or purse is stolen or found, you are at the mercy of the person in possession of it. Will they steal any cash and valuable items for their own personal use, perhaps use or sell your credit cards to other thieves, and dispose of the rest? The chances are high. These are the same types of people that target your digital information through phishing, hacking, or discarded drives that contain PII. Identify theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. A stolen Social Security Number can be used to obtain personal information and can take your credit hostage for the thieves own use.
It is important to secure and protect your physical and digital PII and destroy any outdated information. For digital safety, use and regularly change good passwords, learn to recognize fake emails and links, secure your internet connections, and use virus protection software.
School
Schools are an ideal target for hackers because they are a goldmine of personal information that’s rarely protected by the same level of cyber security used by larger companies. With the increase and change to remote learning and virtual school, there has been a record-breaking level of cyberattacks. This has included denial of service (DoS), phishing, ransomware, and data breach or leaks.
College students are prime credit card fraud targets. With a new identity fraud victim every two seconds, there is a significant risk to students. While having a credit card is a great way to build credit, it also opens up the risk of stolen identity and fraud which comes in the form of credit card skimmers, data breaches, public WiFi hacks, and phishing sites.
Students can protect themselves by safeguarding their wallet and PII and keeping it close by or locked up, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on campus or in public, password protecting all devices, using a password manager for online accounts, checking online accounts, bank accounts, and credit ratings regularly, and reporting any fraud immediately.
Damage
Unprotected PII, whether physical or digital, is at risk of being damaged and lost due to the elements like water, fire, aging, or physical damage. Physical and digital backups are an ideal protection against critical information being damaged or lost. Keeping the backups distant from each other increases the safety net. Physical documents kept at a separate location avoids a similar disaster (like fire) to both. As a protective measure, digital information should also be backed up to an outside server or hard drive taken offsite.
Protecting Your Personal Information
Keeping your PII organized is a great start. Know what and where to keep your information, what to back up, and how to destroy it. Keep documents locked up and only carry what you need. Keep either digital or paper copies of personal information so that if your PII is lost or stolen, you can immediately notify authorities, block any illegal use, and get it replaced as soon as possible. Don’t share any PII with unsecure websites or unfamiliar organizations or people. Don’t hold on to any expired information.
Wiggins Shredding in West Chester, PA are experts at destroying PII. We are secure and compliant and offer commercial, residential, one-time or routine shredding. Check out one of our upcoming Tear Fests or at one of our affordable drop off locations. For more information, give us a call at 610-692-TEAR(8327) or complete the form on this page.
Excellent service! The entire team- Matt, Connor, Chrissy and the team who came to our office, all made it easy for our busy company to get cleaned up for the new year.
I throughly enjoyed working with this company. All the employees are so kind and efficient. I would highly recommend using Wiggins Shredding. I will use them again.
I am so impressed with your service! From the initial request, to scheduling, answering my questions and having important documents shredded, the process was seamless and I felt very secure.
The young men who came to my home were polite and so helpful!
Impressed from start to finish and will recommend for sure!
Very happy with Wiggins Shredding! Matt was very friendly and helpful and got us set up with shredding at our location. Price was very reasonable, shredder tech was on time and very professional. Would definitely recommend.
Wiggins did an excellent job of my shredding documents. Everything was on the second floor in a file cabinet, and they quickly removed everything and shredded it. Very professional. I would recommend them highly.
Used Wiggins for a fast turn around time; scheduling was a snap! They arrived promptly and it was fast! While we did not have much to shred; it was helpful to know that no information could be recovered after the shredding. We've used them for years now and will continue to call Wiggins first!
Easy to make an appointment for onsite shredding—I think we saved a few dollars but more importantly we avoided loading boxes in a vehicle, transporting them, then unloading. The driver called with an expected arrival time, and made it. They respected our unique needs. Very satisfied.
Excellent service. Called, showed up on time. Were very efficient and helpful. Took just a few minutes. Will definitely use them again. Very professional.
Wiggins Shredding was very responsive in the initial contact for our office cleaning. The team was fast and reliable along with arriving within the provided time frame and I appreciate their services.
My experience with Wiggin's Shredding couldn't have been easier, from beginning to end! Christine was very professional and accommodating. The gentleman that came to my residence was also very professional, clean, and thoughtful regarding the placement of my paperwork, so as to fit as much as possible in each bin. I would highly recommend Wiggin's Shredding for all your shredding needs!
Booking was easy, quick and thorough response, fair price and the team that came to our site were polite, courteous and efficient, would definitely book again!
I’ve used Wiggins Shredding twice now for a yearly purge. They make it so easy to schedule the appointment and the driver & helper are very nice. They were in and out in less than 30 mins and now I have more room and I know my documents are destroyed and will be recycles properly by Wiggins:)
From booking the service, to the friendly and efficient employees, everything was perfect! They were right on time, very courteous and quick and got the job done. I would 100% use Wiggins again!
Fast, professional, courteous, confidential and affordable service, delivered on time and UNDER budget. Would use them again in a heartbeat. You should too.
Great service, easy scheduling, transparent pricing, paid what was quoted! They showed up timely, pleasant and driver was most helpful in getting all of our shredding done quickly! Thank you Wiggins!
what can i say from start to finish excellent Company the truck showed up on time two great guys the shredding went flawless I highly recommend tghis Company again thank you very much
Wiggins shredding was on time and efficient...they were in and out within 1/2 hour...The 2 Men that showed up were courteous and friendly...and fast! I cannot say enough good things about Wiggins shredding! Thanks Very Much Wiggins Shredding!
My experience with Wiggins Shredding was excellent! Hired them for business purge/shredding. Christine was exceptional to deal with! She was professional, helpful and efficient. She made the process so easy from start to finish. The truck arrived as scheduled. The guys were great! It was a seamless process! I highly recommend Wiggins Shredding.
Commercial Shredding: sales team is a pleasure to work with; easy reservation process and fair prices. Day of staff were prompt and efficient. Would highly recommend.
Wiggins Shredding residential shredding service was easy and fast! The truck came promptly at 8 am, your guys were friendly and professional while they explained the process. They came with 2 huge bins to transfer papers to the shredding truck and my papers were shredded while I watched! All of my files were gone in minutes!! (which was a load off of my mind!!) I really appreciated the convenience of this being done at my home! It’s so nice to see my hallway finally cleared of all those bags and boxes of paper that had been there for the last 3 years. Thank you so much! I will definitely contact Wiggins Shredding again in the future, and I’ll highly recommend your services to my friends and family!
Our experience with Wiggins Shredding was excellent from beginning to end. Christine was efficient and helpful with quoting the price and setting up the appointment. We had an appointment in less than a week and the price was much less than their competitors. The gentlemen who came and collected our documents were quick and helpful. We will be repeat customers.
Our company has used Wiggins for all its shredding needs. Wiggins is accommodating, affordable, and make the process of disposing of paperwork that contains confidential information as easy and painless as possible. You have the option of simply scheduling a truck to come directly to your location and they do the rest right there onsite so you can ensure that your documents are properly disposed of. I highly recommend Wiggins for any of your shredding needs!
I hired Wiggins Shredding for a one-time purge of about 50 boxes of old files at my work, McDonald Building Co. Christine was very professional and accommodating of our scheduling needs. The price is the best I found in the area. The drivers that came were incredibly friendly and fast! They had everything shredded in 30 minutes! I will definitely use them again.
We hired Wiggins Shredding to come to our office. We had close to 150 boxes of old paperwork to get rid of.
We called 3 companies for estimates. Wiggins returned the message the same day. One returned the message after a week and still no response from the third company. Wiggins fit us in the same week we asked for the estimate.
Super easy to schedule and the two guys that came with the truck were super friendly and hard working.
From the quick response to my inquiry to the timeliness and professionalism of the drivers. Saint Monica Church will be using them again and again! Thank you Wiggins Shredding!
Excellent service! The entire team- Matt, Connor, Chrissy and the team who came to our office, all made it easy for our busy company to get cleaned up for the new year.
I throughly enjoyed working with this company. All the employees are so kind and efficient. I would highly recommend using Wiggins Shredding. I will use them again.
I am so impressed with your service! From the initial request, to scheduling, answering my questions and having important documents shredded, the process was seamless and I felt very secure.
The young men who came to my home were polite and so helpful!
Impressed from start to finish and will recommend for sure!
Very happy with Wiggins Shredding! Matt was very friendly and helpful and got us set up with shredding at our location. Price was very reasonable, shredder tech was on time and very professional. Would definitely recommend.
Wiggins did an excellent job of my shredding documents. Everything was on the second floor in a file cabinet, and they quickly removed everything and shredded it. Very professional. I would recommend them highly.
Used Wiggins for a fast turn around time; scheduling was a snap! They arrived promptly and it was fast! While we did not have much to shred; it was helpful to know that no information could be recovered after the shredding. We've used them for years now and will continue to call Wiggins first!
Easy to make an appointment for onsite shredding—I think we saved a few dollars but more importantly we avoided loading boxes in a vehicle, transporting them, then unloading. The driver called with an expected arrival time, and made it. They respected our unique needs. Very satisfied.
Excellent service. Called, showed up on time. Were very efficient and helpful. Took just a few minutes. Will definitely use them again. Very professional.
Wiggins Shredding was very responsive in the initial contact for our office cleaning. The team was fast and reliable along with arriving within the provided time frame and I appreciate their services.
My experience with Wiggin's Shredding couldn't have been easier, from beginning to end! Christine was very professional and accommodating. The gentleman that came to my residence was also very professional, clean, and thoughtful regarding the placement of my paperwork, so as to fit as much as possible in each bin. I would highly recommend Wiggin's Shredding for all your shredding needs!
Booking was easy, quick and thorough response, fair price and the team that came to our site were polite, courteous and efficient, would definitely book again!
I’ve used Wiggins Shredding twice now for a yearly purge. They make it so easy to schedule the appointment and the driver & helper are very nice. They were in and out in less than 30 mins and now I have more room and I know my documents are destroyed and will be recycles properly by Wiggins:)
From booking the service, to the friendly and efficient employees, everything was perfect! They were right on time, very courteous and quick and got the job done. I would 100% use Wiggins again!
Fast, professional, courteous, confidential and affordable service, delivered on time and UNDER budget. Would use them again in a heartbeat. You should too.
Great service, easy scheduling, transparent pricing, paid what was quoted! They showed up timely, pleasant and driver was most helpful in getting all of our shredding done quickly! Thank you Wiggins!
what can i say from start to finish excellent Company the truck showed up on time two great guys the shredding went flawless I highly recommend tghis Company again thank you very much
Wiggins shredding was on time and efficient...they were in and out within 1/2 hour...The 2 Men that showed up were courteous and friendly...and fast! I cannot say enough good things about Wiggins shredding! Thanks Very Much Wiggins Shredding!
My experience with Wiggins Shredding was excellent! Hired them for business purge/shredding. Christine was exceptional to deal with! She was professional, helpful and efficient. She made the process so easy from start to finish. The truck arrived as scheduled. The guys were great! It was a seamless process! I highly recommend Wiggins Shredding.
Commercial Shredding: sales team is a pleasure to work with; easy reservation process and fair prices. Day of staff were prompt and efficient. Would highly recommend.
Wiggins Shredding residential shredding service was easy and fast! The truck came promptly at 8 am, your guys were friendly and professional while they explained the process. They came with 2 huge bins to transfer papers to the shredding truck and my papers were shredded while I watched! All of my files were gone in minutes!! (which was a load off of my mind!!) I really appreciated the convenience of this being done at my home! It’s so nice to see my hallway finally cleared of all those bags and boxes of paper that had been there for the last 3 years. Thank you so much! I will definitely contact Wiggins Shredding again in the future, and I’ll highly recommend your services to my friends and family!
Our experience with Wiggins Shredding was excellent from beginning to end. Christine was efficient and helpful with quoting the price and setting up the appointment. We had an appointment in less than a week and the price was much less than their competitors. The gentlemen who came and collected our documents were quick and helpful. We will be repeat customers.
Our company has used Wiggins for all its shredding needs. Wiggins is accommodating, affordable, and make the process of disposing of paperwork that contains confidential information as easy and painless as possible. You have the option of simply scheduling a truck to come directly to your location and they do the rest right there onsite so you can ensure that your documents are properly disposed of. I highly recommend Wiggins for any of your shredding needs!
I hired Wiggins Shredding for a one-time purge of about 50 boxes of old files at my work, McDonald Building Co. Christine was very professional and accommodating of our scheduling needs. The price is the best I found in the area. The drivers that came were incredibly friendly and fast! They had everything shredded in 30 minutes! I will definitely use them again.
We hired Wiggins Shredding to come to our office. We had close to 150 boxes of old paperwork to get rid of.
We called 3 companies for estimates. Wiggins returned the message the same day. One returned the message after a week and still no response from the third company. Wiggins fit us in the same week we asked for the estimate.
Super easy to schedule and the two guys that came with the truck were super friendly and hard working.
From the quick response to my inquiry to the timeliness and professionalism of the drivers. Saint Monica Church will be using them again and again! Thank you Wiggins Shredding!