BBB: Secure Your Identity by Shredding Documents on October 19

On Saturday, October 19th, the Better Business Bureau Serving Wisconsin along with Summit Credit Union will host “ShredFest” – a free document shredding event that helps people protect themselves from identity theft. Two events will be held simultaneously, in Muskego and Madison.

MUSKEGO MADISON
Summit Credit Union Summit Credit Union
W156 S6840 Moorland Road 2424 Rimrock Road
Muskego, WI 53150 Madison WI 53713

To a thief, personal documents are a gold mine. Equipped with that information, a thief can wreak havoc on your financial life, from opening fraudulent accounts to filing phony taxes in your name.

“The BBB reminds people to keep themselves safe from identity theft. One important and effective way to do that is to shred sensitive documents that you no longer need”, says Jim Temmer, CEO/president of The Better Business Bureau Serving Wisconsin. “We’re offering free document shredding this upcoming weekend thanks to our partner, Summit Credit Union.”

According to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network, in Wisconsin, credit card fraud was the most common form of reported identity theft at 37 percent, followed by employment and tax-related fraud (23 percent), bank fraud (13 percent) phone and utilities fraud (12 percent) and loan/lease fraud (8 percent).

The BBB’s shredding event is part of a larger, national shredding event hosted by BBB offices throughout the United States.

Bring up to three bags of check stubs, receipts, junk mail, etc. If a piece of paper or an envelope has your name, identifying information or other sensitive materials, destroy it.

You can shred just about any document, but there are some you should keep for a certain amount of time. The IRS has a few recommendations on tax documents for specific situations. Otherwise, the BBB recommends the following timeline for sensitive document shredding:

▪ Keep for three years: bank statements, expired insurance policies and employment applications.
▪ Keep for seven years: invoices, canceled stock certificates, payroll records and withholding statements.
▪ Keep permanently: deeds, mortgages, tax returns, audit reports, legal correspondence and property records.

For more information about what to shred and what not to bring, please visit our website.