Securing Private Documents

As a business owner, my company reviews hundreds of applications and relevant background check documents every year. We store all paperwork in a locked cabinet, and only our compliance agent can access the information we collect during background checks.

Whether you own a business or have personal documents like a will, insurance paperwork, deeds, car titles, etc., you must keep all sensitive materials in a secure location. This is especially true for paperwork containing social security or Medicare ID numbers. Both numbers are particularly susceptible to scammers and insurance fraud. You might be surprised that some nongovernmental bills show your social security number.

Some of us use locked file cabinets in an office, home safes, or bank safety deposit boxes to secure these paper documents. For things like wills and estate plans, having your law firm keep original documents safe is another option.

Paper documents are only part of the challenge. Today, many documents are all electronic, which also poses problems. Responsible businesses and government agencies use secure storage systems. Companies and organizations that handle tons of paper documents often opt to eliminate paper copies after storing them digitally, rather than putting them in safes, locked cabinets, or banks.

For example, my company uploads paper applications online. Once they’re uploaded, we shred the paper. All documents are stored online securely to protect the information that could be misused in the wrong hands.

If the documents are ever stored on a computer without security measures in place, erasing them can be quite complex. While you can delete a file, the information remains somewhere on the hard drive. There are several ways to destroy paperwork and digital files. For example, with paper, you can shred, burn, or pulp. Removing digital files yourself takes several steps, and many people hire a professional to ensure no sensitive information remains on the hard drive.

Private Investigators

Private investigators use special software to search for and maintain information securely. However, before a company can get the software, it and all its employees must undergo a thorough background check.

Suppose an investigator downloads documents or comes to your business and takes or fills out paperwork. In that case, all of it is uploaded to a secure site, and the paper is properly destroyed.

The responsibility to deal with sensitive documents is real. Whether in a private company, a federal government office, or a home setting, everyone must stay on top of securing documents. Doing this will help stop insurance fraud and identity theft. Your private information won’t be leaked and sold on the dark web.

Today’s decisions will affect your tomorrows!