How many times do you tear in half junkmail credit card applications to protect yourself from identity theft?

credit card application
Sarah1975 asked:


Assume you have some junkmail you wish to dispose of which has you name and address printed on it but you don’t have a shredder available. If it was an A4 size application form, how many times would your tear it in two before putting it in the bin?

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17 Responses to How many times do you tear in half junkmail credit card applications to protect yourself from identity theft?

  1. Evil D

    I USUALLY RUN THEM THREW A SHREDDER THEN BURN THEM IN A SMALL METAL CAN IN MY BACK YARD.

  2. links305

    about 3 or 4

  3. ...mr2fister...

    enough times that there is no way to piece it back together and make any sense out of it.

  4. NutstersBabe

    Can U burn it in the sink?
    It’ll B safer than tearing it up straight in2 the bin.
    Do a lil at a time, U have a tap 2 switch on should it start looking a bit iffy.
    It’s what I would do If I didn’t have a shredder.

  5. spot

    I rip the envelope in half (I don’t even open it) and put in my kitchen trash can every time.

  6. sapfrog27

    I do it all the time…like you, i am afraid someone will steal my identity….Ive seen it happen to a couple friends.

  7. dukalink6000

    Never. Considering those companies now have a phone number so it can be called in, I find the offending portions and burn them

  8. babyrawl

    I have a shredder in my house.

  9. Not me

    buy a shreader. You will want a cross cut. They cost a bit more, but worth it

  10. Just Ducky!!

    Kinda hard to assume you don’t have a shredder when you have one, but I’ll try…. next time this comes up.

  11. wlvrne1964

    This is funny, because I’ve done that for years. I usually tear it twice: down the middle, then across.

  12. terrieann43

    We have a shredder now, but when we didn’t I cut them up a lot with the scissors. You want to make it too hard to piece together. Obviously someone can’t tape one together and send if off to get the credit card, but they can get your personal information off of it and use that to try and get other cards. Most people are too lazy to sit and put together something that is in many, many pieces. My husband has made it a policy to shred everything that has our name and address on it. That’s probably a little extreme, but I guess it can’t hurt.

  13. danadeville

    I never shred or tear anything. I don’t even own a shredder. If someone wants my identity they can have it.

  14. retired_afmil

    I write “no” in CAPs and “remove from mail listing” on the application. I then take all the papers that I received with the application including the envelope addressed to me and put it in the prepaid return envelope and send it back to them. My satisfaction is knowing it cost them extra money for postage when I return it. Just think if everyone did it, it would double there postage costs.

  15. susan9

    I have always tore mine in half. But do realize that druggies will take all those pieces of paper and sit and put them back together so they can use them to get your personal information. the drug makes them able to sit and concentrate and put this back together. They are also driven by the desire for more drugs. So I would purchase a shredder that cuts it into little bits both ways if you wanted to be absolutely sure.

  16. Tammi J

    I’d fold it in half first and then tear it four times. However, most of those junk mail form things are already folded in three or four to fit in the prepared envelope in which case I would simply tear it four times. If the pieces are getting thick for the fourth tear just overlap the edges slightly. Don’t line the edges up and you’ll only have to tear through at one time as thick as you did for the previous tear.

    The pieces end up quite small and if anyone sees trash which is well ripped like that, they’ll surely look for easier targets. If you are used to tearing stuff up this is very quick to do.

  17. jelloshotz.com

    I use a crosscut shredder.

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