The Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA), also known as the FACT Act, was signed into federal law on December 4, 2003. It contains a number of provisions intended to combat consumer fraud and related crimes, including identity theft, and to assist its victims. Specifically, it requires the destruction of all paper documents containing identifiable consumer information.
Section 682.3 of the law states: “Any person who maintains or otherwise possesses consumer information, or any compilation of consumer information, for business purposes must properly dispose of such information by taking reasonable measures to protect against unauthorized access to or use of the information in connection with its disposal.”
Shredding of such documents “so that the information cannot be practicably be read or reconstructed” meets the law’s standard.
To learn more about FACTA, click here.