BBB invites community to take part in a coast-to-coast “Secure Your ID” Day
Better Business Bureau (BBB) and its national partners, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the National Association for Information Destruction, invites the community to BBB “Secure Your ID” Day Saturday, October 17, 2009 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center parking lot. Residents and small businesses are encouraged to attend the event and take a key step in identity protection by shredding and properly disposing of their sensitive paper documents as well as CDs and floppy discs. BBB will also be providing expert advice and tips for identity theft protection.
“Properly destroying documents that carry information you don’t want getting into the hands of crooks is an important first step to fighting identity theft, but it doesn’t end there,” said Tim Johnston, BBB president. “That’s why BBB will also be on hand offering important advice and simple steps everyone can take to prevent ID theft in their daily lives, both online and off.”
Identity theft is on the rise. The number of victims increased 22% this past year to 9.9 million adults in the U.S. according to a report from Javelin Strategy and Research. Low-tech methods for stealing personal information are still the most popular for identity thieves.
BBB Secure Your ID Day Details
Who: Better Business Bureau Serving Northern Nevada with national partners the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the National Association for Information Destruction and local partners American Document Destruction, Inc. (www.addnv.com) and KTVN Channel 2 (www.ktvn.com).
What: Free on-the-spot document shredding and tips and resources for protecting your identity.
When: Saturday, October 17, 2009, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Where: Reno-Sparks Convention Center parking lot (corner of Kietzke and Peckham)
Bring up to three boxes or bags of documents to be shredded and take home the tips and resources you need to help protect yourself. Documents to be shredded should be removed from binders, but staples, paper clips, CDs and floppy discs are okay to be shredded.
As the result of two nationwide Secure Your ID Days in 2008 alone, BBB helped individuals and small businesses at more than 83 sites across the country shred 1.2 million pounds of sensitive documents—all for free. For more information on BBB “Secure Your ID Day” and identity theft prevention measures for both consumers and businesses, visit: www.reno.bbb.org/secure-your-id.
“Identity theft is largely a crime of access,” added Johnston. “Our goal here is to make the information less accessible and empower people to be their own first line of defense against identity theft. With community-based BBBs across North America collaborating simultaneously, we’ll have a tremendous coast-to-coast presence that will reach a lot of people and, hopefully, prevent a lot of theft.”
About BBB
BBB is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Businesses that earn BBB accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization’s high standards of ethical business behavior. BBB provides objective advice, free business BBB Reliability Reports™ and charity BBB Wise Giving Reports™, and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. To further promote trust, BBB also offers complaint and dispute resolution support for consumers and businesses when there is difference in viewpoints. The first BBB was founded in 1912. Today, 124 BBBs serve communities across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating and monitoring more than four million local and national businesses and charities. Please visit www.bbb.org for more information about BBB.
About NAID®
The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) is the nonprofit trade organization of the secure destruction industry. With over 1,200 member locations, NAID members provide secure destruction services to business and government across North America. www.naidonline.org
About NFCC
Founded in 1951, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), Inc., promotes the national agenda for financially responsible behavior and builds capacity for its Members to deliver the highest quality financial education and counseling services. The NFCC is the nations largest and longest serving national nonprofit credit counseling network, with more than 100 Member agencies and nearly 850 offices in communities throughout the country. Each year, NFCC Members assist more than 3.2 million consumers, helping many to drive down their debt and take control of their finances. www.nfcc.org