Secure Your Identity by Shredding Documents on May 6

The deadline for filing taxes has just ended. That means it’s time for the annual reminder to take steps to secure your identity. To help, BBB is offering free shredding of personal documents this Saturday:

MILWAUKEE

Saturday, May 6, 2017
8:30 - 11:00 am (or until capacity)
SVA Certified Public Accountants
18650 W Corporate Drive, Brookfield, WI 53045

Doing taxes comes with plenty of paperwork that has sensitive personal information, including your Social Security number. To a thief, tax 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 next year.

“Concerned about keeping your identity secure? One important and effective thing you can do is shred sensitive documents you no longer need”, said Jim Temmer, CEO/president of The Better Business Bureau Serving Wisconsin. “We’re here to help, offering free document shredding this weekend thanks to our partners SVA and Iron Mountain.”

Bring up to two 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 please visit our website.