2. Papers with a Social Security number

Did you know that 158 million Social Security numbers were exposed in 2017? And the worrying thing is that the numbers keep growing! The social security number you have is one of the key means of verification for all US citizens. This number, which is given to you at birth and is used by many governmental organizations to authenticate your identification, may be found on several sorts of paperwork, such as credit applications, payroll documents, tax documents, and college applications.

After you decide what documents you should shred, make sure you also destroy the numbers on them. Someone else may use your social security number to apply for credit, find work, or rent a place to live in your name.