According to the Better Business Bureau, 14.4 million people across the country were victims of fraud in 2018. The BBB is giving people a chance to shred some of their confidential information this Saturday with its annual Secure Your ID Day.
One local resident told 2 News that it may be time for some people to get shredded.’There are people out there who can take your identity, hack your things and never be caught. It’s not spoken about but they're around us every day,” said the local resident. "You're gambling. You’re taking a chance. There are dumpster divers out there that are looking for information,” said Timothy Johnston from the Better Business Bureau.
This is the 12th year that the BBB has offered Secure Your ID Day. As part of the event, people can have their important papers and information shredded securely, to cut down on their chance of experiencing identity theft. “Identity theft is really a crime of access of information. And when you securely destroy it you take away that access,” said Johnston. “You've got to be situationally self-aware,” said the local resident.
One simple paper with your Social Security number could lead to fraud. “Someone could file for a tax refund in your name,” said Johnston.
A discarded driver's license or ID card with your name, address, or birth date could lead to decades of debt. “They could open up accounts in your name with your basic information,” said Johnston.
Documents are lying around people's homes, whether it’s from themselves or a relative who has passed on. “Mail comes in, it may be junk mail, old bank statements, or credit card statement., People know they're not supposed to throw the documents away, they just don't know what to do with it right now,” said Johnston.
Documents, IDs, and credit cards are all things that can be shredded and safely disposed of as part of Secure Your ID day. Up to three bags or boxes of those documents can be discarded at the event.
This year's Secure Your ID Day event will be held at the Atlantis Casino and Resort’s west parking lot off of Virginia Street. It runs from 9 am to noon on Saturday, October 19, 2019.
