by Alison Storm | 10/19/11

Consumer Reports tested 19 cross-cut paper shredders in their latest product investigation. They're now recommending four of those models because they were the easiest to operate and shredded quickly with fewer paper jams. The four that received the highest ratings included Black & Decker CC1500, GoEcoLife GX120Ti and two models from Staples: SPL-TXC22A in the console style and wastepaper basket design. In order to pick the best ones Consumer Reports fed each of the 19 shredders about 25,000 papers.

Consumer Reports admits that it can be easy to be less diligent about shredding documents containing your credit card information or social security number because it seems lately scammers are targeting people online. But National Protect Your Identity Week is happening October 16-22 and it's a great time to amp up your personal security. "One of the best ways to help protect your privacy is to make sure you shred important documents before you toss them," said Noreen Perrotta, Finance Editor, Consumer Reports in a news release. "Cross-cut shredders are very effective at doing that because they slice papers horizontally and vertically."

Wondering what you need to shred and what can just get tossed? Anything that contains your credit card information-- including pre-approved credit card offers should be shredded. Here are some recommendations from Consumer Reports:

Shred:

• Monthly bills.


• Receipts or other papers that show your signature.


• Employer pay stubs.


• Statements from your bank, credit-card companies, 401(k) administrator, and broker and other investment statements.


• Anything that contains your Social Security number.


• Expired credit cards, and prescreened credit-card offers and application.


• Tax forms and tax-related documents more than seven years old.


• Any documents that list a password or PIN, and anything else with personal information that you wouldn't want a stranger to see.

• All mail from your financial institution, including change-of-terms notices.


• Documents from companies you've done business with recently, including those from recent travel. Thieves could call you masquerading as a representative from one of those businesses to try to trick you into disclosing personal information.

• Mail that contains only your name and address, if that's public information and easy to find elsewhere. That includes items such as catalogs or flyers that aren't from a financial institution.


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