Saturday October 9th, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is hosting its 19th annual Secure Your ID Day. The event is meant to help community members protect themselves from fraud and identity theft.
Over the last 19 years, more than 287,000 pounds of documents have been destroyed through the event, for free. The ease of the drive thru makes the process quick and convenient for folks to take advantage of.
“We invite people to come out to the west parking lot of the Atlantis to securely destroy documents that they have that have their personal information on it, their name and a number that attaches them to some type of account,” said Tim Johnston from the BBB. “It's a drive through event. They can bring up to three boxes to shred on site for free, and also an opportunity to give back to those in need in our community.”
Years ago, the community said they wanted to give back while taking advantage of this resource, so the BBB partnered with the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. When folks drive up to drop off documents, they have the opportunity to also drop off non-perishable items or monetary donations that go straight back into the community. That support has provided nearly 72,000 meals to those in need over the last 11 years.
Plus, it's much harder for fraudsters to steal someone's identity when their documents have been properly disposed of.
“When I talk about scams and scam prevention, I talk about playing a good defense. And so, what can we do? And one of the simple things is actually destroying our documents,” said Johnston.
Secure Your ID Day will be held on Saturday in the west parking lot of the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., or until the trucks are full. Folks can bring up to three boxes or bags of documents.
The BBB recommends bringing any document with an account number, a balance, or a government ID number.
Examples include:
Bank and credit card statements
Pre-approved credit card offers and applications
insurance forms and claim paperwork
investment and retirement statements
medical records and billing statements
Utility and phone bills
Pay stubs and tax records
For more information about the BBB, educational resources, and to report fraud and scams, click here.
