You should probably buy a schredder today.


I get a heck of a lot of credit card applications in the mail.  
A bunch for Visa, quite a few from Mastercard and tons of them from American Express. 

I almost always tear them in half and throw them away.

Sometimes, if I am feeling particularly paranoid, I'll tear them into little bitty pieces. 

Is that good enough? Could a determined and dextrous criminal gather all the bits, tape them together and apply for a card in my name? Would a credit card company balk when confronted with an obviously ressurected application?

A test was in order, and when the latest application arrived from Chase Mastercard, I was equal to the task.

The application itself turned out to be quite small, so instead of just ripping it in half, I tore it into small bits.

Next, I arranged the bits on the countertop. It actually took a surprising amount of effort to get them all flipped and aligned properly. It was the kind of methodical effort a methamphetamine addict might enjoy.