Your local BBB kicked off NATIONAL PROTECT YOUR ID WEEK with a community shred event held at the Michigan First Credit Union location in Lathrup Village on Saturday, October 17, 2009. The BBB’s event partner, Shred-it, destroyed more than 16,000 pounds of financial and personal documents dropped off from the nearly 500 cars that stopped by to take advantage of the event. People could have three boxes of documents shredded for FREE; a donation was requested to support the BBB Educational Foundation for additional boxes. BBB staff were also on-site to provide advice and tips for identity theft protection.
CLICK HERE for a photo gallery from the event.
In addition to keeping these documents out of the hands of scam artists, all the paper that was shredded during BBB ‘Secure Your ID’ Day was recycled, thus avoiding landfills.
Last year alone, 8.1 million Americans became the victim of ID theft, resulting in the loss of $45 billion, according to a 2008 report from Javelin Strategy and Research. The report notes that the majority (56%) of ID theft occurs when the thief has direct contact with the victim’s personal information, through a stolen wallet, rifling through a mailbox or trashcan, or lifting documents from inside a home or business.
“Identity Theft is largely a crime of access,” said Tim Burns, spokesperson for the BBB. “Our goal for ‘Secure Your ID’ Day is to make information less accessible and empower people to be their own first line of defense against identity theft.”
