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It freaks me out how easy it is for thieves to steal your identity these days. Like totally freaks me out! Something as innocent as putting your garbage out on the curb can totally wreck your life. The scariest part? You won’t even know it’s happening until it’s too late. Freaky!!! At this point in my life, I’ve done enough damage to my credit on my own, so I joke that an identity thief could only improve it. Of course, identity theft is no joking matter. I know there is a lot worse that can happen to me aside from bad credit.

How does a shredder protect you from identity theft?

To me, that’s really a no-brainer question. If you shred documents with your personal information on them before tossing them in the recycling bin, it’s a whole lot harder for thieves to steal your identity. It’s not enough to just shred them into a few pieces though. Anyone who enjoys jigsaw puzzles can easily put them back together. You need to really shred the heck out of those papers! I’m talking itty bitty pieces that would take months to reassemble. Thieves aren’t going to waste their time with something like that! Well, unless you’re a zillionaire, then maybe it would be worth it. Don’t tell me if that’s not a real number. I’m not good with numbers, so I make them up. Don’t judge! I’ve seen people make up words, so why can’t I make up numbers? Fair is fair.

Okay, so I was going to give you a bullet-point list of why shredders are essential to protecting your identity, but really, it comes down to one thing:

• Shredding documents prevents all but the most obsessive thief from copying your personal data and stealing it for themselves.
• Ripping paper to shreds yourself is time-consuming.

Hey, that’s two things! Go me!

Why a Fellowes Shredder?

This is another no-brainer for me. Why Fellowes? Because they rock! This is the second Fellowes shredder I’ve tried out in the last six months. Once I’m done checking it out, I’m giving one to my baby brother. He’s opening his own law firm soon and will definitely be shredding documents. All the Fellowes shredders make excellent gifts for those safety-conscious recipients on your list. Take a peek at what I love about the P-12C Fellowes Shredder.

• The super slim design makes it perfect for smaller offices, dorm rooms and apartments. I think this is going to come in super handy for my brother. It’s light enough to travel from his home office to his actual office. Since he’s just starting out, his space won’t be huge at first. Until he gets himself that corner office with the bay windows overlooking his empire, I’m thinking space-saving is the way to go.
• Cross-cut blades shred paper into 309 particles. Wow! A thief would need an enormous amount of patience to reassemble that many pieces!
• Destroys up to 12 sheets of paper at once, so it saves time!
• SafeSense® technology which automatically disables the shredder when hands touch the paper opening. Since my brother is also having a baby this month, I’m pretty sure he’d like to keep all his fingers in tact so he can hold her properly. I myself need technology like this because I’m a total klutz. I would not use a shredder that didn’t have this feature.
• Can shred credit cards, paper clips and staples. No need to sit there prying out all those staples before shredding!
• It’s only $99.97 at Walmart and Walmart.com.

The Fellowes P-12C Shredder would make a great gift for the holidays, don’t you think? After all, what could be better than the gift of identity protection?