The Better Business Bureau Serving Asheville and Western North Carolina will host a “Shred Day/Secure Your ID” Day from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. April 17 at Executive Park’s College Street parking lot in Asheville.
The co-sponsors for this event are OnTrack Financial Education & Counseling and American Security Shredding. Residents and small businesses are encouraged to attend the event and take a key step in identity protection by shredding and properly disposing of their sensitive documents. BBB staff will be on-site to provide expert advice and tips for identity theft protection.
“Shredding sensitive paper documents is an important step, but it doesn’t end there,” said Norma Messer, President of the Better Business Bureau serving Asheville and Western North Carolina. “That’s why the BBB and a representative of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office will be distributing important advice and simple steps everyone can take to prevent ID theft in their daily lives, both online and off.”
Last year alone, 11.1 million Americans became victims of ID theft, resulting in the loss of $54 billion, according to a 2010 report from Javelin Strategy and Research.
“This is largely a crime of access,” added Messer. “Our goal here is to make the information less accessible and empower people to be their own first line of defense against identity theft. With community-based BBBs across North America collaborating simultaneously, we’ll have a tremendous coast-to-coast presence that will reach a lot of people and, hopefully, prevent a lot of theft.”
Bring up to three boxes or bags (weighing no more than 50 pounds) of documents to be shredded and take home the tips and resources you need to help protect yourself. Documents to be shredded should be removed from binders.
For more information, call 253-2392 or 800-452-2882; consumers may obtain reports on companies and charities, file a complaint or get consumer tips by going to www.asheville.bbb.org .
