Brian Van Norman
919.232.5008
[email protected]
Beverly Baskin
919.277.4202
[email protected]
RALEIGH, N.C. (September 14, 2009)?Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina (www.bbb.org) announces today it will host “Secure Your ID” Day for individuals on Saturday, October 17, 2009. The local shredding event will be held at Raleigh’s Ridgewood Shopping Center from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“We hope to empower people to be their own first line of defense against identity theft,” says Beverly Baskin, president and CEO of BBB of Eastern North Carolina. “Shredding sensitive documents is a great first step in protecting themselves, but it should not end there. People need to be diligent in defending against unscrupulous individuals looking to take advantage of consumers and small businesses.”
ProShred Security of Raleigh and Cintas Document Management of Garner will provide the free, on-site document shredding. BBB and other partner organizations will offer tips and resources to protect your identity. Participants are encouraged to bring up to three boxes or bags of documents to be destroyed. Documents should be removed from binders.
“Shredding personal documents is a simple and effective way to protect your most valuable asset—your identity,” says Jim Klemes, general manager of ProShred Security. “The BBB ‘Secure Your ID’ Day offers an excellent opportunity to do so, and we are happy to partner with them again for this event.”
According to a 2009 report from Javelin Strategy and Research, 9.9 million Americans became victims of ID theft in 2008, resulting in the loss of $48 billion. Individuals lost an average of $4,849 per incident. The report notes that the majority (56 percent) of ID theft occurs when the thief had direct contact with the victim’s personal information?by rifling through mailboxes and trashcans, lifting documents from inside homes and businesses, or through stolen and lost wallets. Alarmingly, in 35 percent of all cases, the victim knew who had misused their personal information.”
Additionally, The Federal Trade Commission reports that ID theft has been the top consumer complaint for six years in a row. The average victim spends nearly 600 hours recovering from ID theft.
“With identity theft on the rise and affecting so many Americans, it is imperative that people take steps to protect themselves,” says Heath Kallam, general manager of Cintas Document Management. “Cintas is happy to join BBB in offering this service to the community.”
BBB looks to build upon the success of its April, 2009 “Secure Your ID” Day, where more than 500 participants turned out and nearly 15,000 pounds of documents were shredded. Additional event information is available at www.bbb.org.
About BBB of Eastern North Carolina:
The Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina is a 501 (c)(6) not-for-profit corporation serving 33 counties in Eastern North Carolina. The organization is funded primarily by BBB Accredited Business fees from more than 3,200 local business and professional firms. The BBB promotes integrity, consumer confidence and business ethics through business self-regulation in the local marketplace. Services provided by the BBB include, reports on companies and charitable organizations, general monitoring of advertising in the marketplace, dispute resolution services, and consumer/business education programs. All services are provided at no cost to the public, with the occasional exception of mediation and arbitration. Visit www.bbb.org.
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