# Removing address from mail before discarding **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 11, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040 "2023-01-11T16:00:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/41 "2023-01-12T15:11:33Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > With name, address, e-mail address & social security number, it’s trivial to make fraudulent online transactions, typically placing online orders, with the delivery address changed. With that information, how exactly are they going to make me pay for those online orders? ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/42 "2023-01-12T17:00:45Z")
My work place allowed us to bring in reasonable amounts of personal paperwork to be shredded. There’s also a local bank that runs shredding trucks a few times a year. I don’t bank with them, but it was open to the entire community. It’s nice to have a free service. I know the FedEx office offers shredding, but do they charge? As far as birth dates, unless it’s a official application like a loan or government forms, I’ll put my birthday as January 1st. Sometimes I’m a few years younger too. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/43 "2023-01-12T22:51:45Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > However anything with a form like a credit card offer I tear in half. How much good is that these days when the instructions included are to go to creditcard,com and enter this pre-approval number? > [@Procrustus](#): > > I take zero precautions with my discarded mail. The one exception is those checks the credit card company sends me to access “cash” from my account. I rip those up. This exactly. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/44 "2023-01-12T23:00:38Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > How much good is that these days when the instructions included are to go to creditcard,com and enter this pre-approval number? That’s something I’ve wondered about. I used to always shred those “pre approved” credit card applications, but I don’t really get many of those anymore. Now they just instruct you to scan a QR code or go to their website and enter the “offer number” from the mailer. But I wonder if that number and QR code contains any information that would identify me, personally, or if it just tells them that you’re one of the 100,000 people they sent that offer to. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/45 "2023-01-12T23:06:16Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > How much good is that these days when the instructions included are to go to creditcard,com and enter this pre-approval number? Good question, I never read them lol. I guess I need to now. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/46 "2023-01-12T23:08:36Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I don’t think anyone is going through my trash looking for my name and address. “I hate digging through this stinky trash bin to find the address of the house next to it…” ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/47 "2023-01-14T07:25:57Z")
I take my mail to a charity paper recycling dumpster at a nearby school. I always rip out where my address appears before putting it in the “mail recycling pile,” although certain pieces sometimes reach the limit of "too much trouble to make it anonymous and it goes in the “take to the office and put in the secure disposal bin.” The paper shreds with my address on it actually go in my regular garbage so that all ends up spending a night on the curb inside a garbage bag in my bin. So I guess I don’t trust people raiding the charity dumpster (which can go weeks before being dumped) than my bin being targeted overnight on garbage day. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/48 "2023-01-16T14:00:08Z")
I’m sorting out my mom’s estate. She had tax records and canceled checks going back 40 years. I spent most of yesterday shredding stuff. I’m going to keep 10 years of taxes, I think your supposed to keep 7, but that’s probably overkill. I used to do her taxes, but gonna go see a CPA for her final taxes. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/49 "2023-01-16T17:46:08Z")
I keep 10 years of tax records, but it may indeed be overkill. I’ve gotten into the habit of shredding my oldest records before I do my taxes for the current year, thus freeing up spaced for the new tax records I’m about to generate. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/50 "2023-01-16T18:01:43Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’m sorting out my mom’s estate. She had tax records and canceled checks going back 40 years. I spent most of yesterday shredding stuff. When my dad died, we closed his accounts (credit and bank) so I had no reservations about tossing statements from those accounts in the trash. ETA: Especially cancelled checks. People who use checks (I’m one of them) routinely give checks with their address and account number to complete strangers. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2023, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/51 "2023-01-18T18:22:43Z")
We shred anything with any personal info, personally I wouldn’t shred something with just our name and address but my wife insists that we do. Anything with account numbers gets shredded, old credit cards get cut into multiple pieces and we make sure the strip and chip are both cut. Paying by check seems to be a weak point in the armor- whenever you pay by check, by person or by mail, anyone who handles it can merely copy the routing and account numbers and he can use it to pay for things online. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/52 "2023-01-18T19:13:49Z")
Another shredder here. If I could I would just mount a shredder right on the pole in place of the box and save myself a step bit I don’t think the carrier would abide that. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2023, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040/53 "2023-01-18T20:34:24Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Paying by check seems to be a weak point in the armor- whenever you pay by check, by person or by mail, anyone who handles it can merely copy the routing and account numbers and he can use it to pay for things online. I just wrote a ‘check’ today, kinda-sorta. Just paid my annual dues to a small club I belong to, via my CU’s bill pay system. A small enough payee that they will most likely mail a check instead of sending an ACH but at no cost of either check stock or stamp for me. The way they do it is to debit my acct & credit theirs. They then mail out a business style check, with my name but their (actually the vendor’s) ABA & acct # & that acct I’m _sure_ is setup with [positive pay](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/positive-pay.asp#:~:text=What%20Is%20Positive%20Pay%3F,to%20the%20issuer%20for%20examination.) so an evildoer can’t really get away with anything when they get ‘my’ check [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-address-from-mail-before-discarding/978040.md?page=2)