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We talk a lot about the benefits of cross cut over strip cut, and why it really is the only way to safely destroy your sensitive documents. Even today a lot of businesses are still sticking to their old faithful strip cut shredder, despite all of the security risks that come with it. So this month we wanted to show you, instead of tell you, why your strip cut shredder is risking your business.

 

Pictures Speak Louder Than Words

For some context, this post was inspired while watching a recap of the popular TV show ‘Better Caul Saul’. That might sound bizarre for a company who deals in shredding, but hear us out. Main character Jimmy McGill is a criminal lawyer who is in the middle of a fraud investigation into a retirement home. The retirement home gets wind of this, and starts shredding all of the evidence. They then throw it into the bins outside – problem solved, right? Wrong, because Jimmy digs through the rubbish and finds the bags of shredding. It’s worth at this stage pointing out that when you put rubbish on the curb in open view it is perfectly legal for someone to rifle through it and take what they want.  So Jimmy ends up with a few bags full of multi-coloured strips of paper. He then spends the whole night separating out the colours and doing this…

 

Until after several hours he ends up with…

Some pretty well reconstructed documents. Thanks to 1 nights work and a strip cutter, Jimmy McGill gained access to old invoices, payment information and resident details, all of which allowed him to press forward with his law suit. If he had been so inclined, he could have used this information to steal the identities of every resident in that retirement home. It seems quite far fetched, after all, this is only a TV show right? Sadly, while it is a more outdated method of fraud, it is still used by a lot of criminals today. And it’s not surprising, after all, all it takes is a lot of patience (and quite a few paper cuts)

It’s Not All Cyber Space

In the last few years’ cyber crime has soared, and the focus for security has very much shifted towards the digital spectrum. This is a very important area for businesses to focus on, but it is important to remember that it isn’t the only way a security breach can happen. It’s still important to consider the physical safety of your sensitive documents. We are now at a stage where most businesses understand that leaving unshredded documents in the dustbin is a bad idea, and yet some still persevere with an outdated method of shredding. Not only does it present a risk to your business, but it could also leave in breach of Data protection if the government decide that your shredding isn’t adequate protection for your customer information.

Why Is Cross Cut Safer?  

Strip cut shredders cuts documents into 2mm strips, which, as you’ve seen, could easily be put back together by a very patient criminal. But the cutting cylinders of a cross-cut shredder not only cut paper lengthways, but also widthways, producing smaller shreds of paper that look like confetti. Depending on the model of the shredder, a standard A4 sheet could be turned into between 300 and 1500 tiny pieces of paper. Try putting that back together!

In summary, while staying with your strip cut shredder might seem like the easier option this year, in the long run it’s more of a risk to your business than you realise. So instead of taking the risk, ensure your secure documents are destroyed the safe way with a professional shredding service. For more information or a free consultation, get in touch today.