What do you do with all that unsolicited mail that comes to your mailbox? Do you just unwittingling toss it into the garbage? Does it have your name and address on it?

You may just want to pitch it all but if it does contain your name and address you are asking for trouble.

Believe it or not, some people make their living by scouring garbage and when they find anything containing your identification, you put yourself at risk. These guys are clever and your ID can soon become theirs.

I just found a posting on my bank site today and it offers some basic tips to help you decide what should be shredded and I decided to share it with you.

According to a 2008 report from Javelin Strategy and Research, 8.1 million North Americans were victims of identity theft in 2007, resulting in a combined loss of $45 billion. While identity theft is often associated with phishing e-mails and other online trickery, the truth is most identity theft occurs the old-fashioned way - with crooks digging through trash looking for personal information.

So when it comes to sensitive paperwork, what should you keep and what should you shred? The Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario chapter of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently offered the following tips to help with the decision of what to shred, and when.

As a general rule, shred documents that include social insurance numbers, birthdays, PIN numbers or passwords. Leases, contracts or letters that are ready to be discarded should also be shredded. As well, pre-approved credit card applications, medical or dental bills, travel itineraries and used airline tickets should all head straight to the shredder once they’re no longer needed.

Any documents that support tax returns should be kept in a safe, secure location for seven years - long enough to cover the six-year tax assessment period.

The BBB does advise consumers to keep any cancelled cheques and related receipts or documents for a home purchase or sale, renovations or other improvements to owned property.