October 15, 2008 St. John’s, NL – The BBB invites the community to take part in “Secure Your ID” Day.
The BBB Event Offers Free Identity Theft Protection Advice and On-Site Document Shredding. The Better Business Bureau serving Newfoundland & Labrador invites local individuals and small businesses this Saturday, October 18th, 2008 at the BBB Office 360 Topsail Road to take the first step in identity protection: If you don’t need it, dispose of it…responsibly.
For this important initiative, BBB is partnering nationally with Equifax. Secure shredding services on the day of the event will be provided by the members of the National Association of Information Destruction (NAID), the industry’s trade organization, and locally with Iron Mountain to offer this free community service, coupled with expert advice and resources for protecting personal information from ID thieves.
“Shredding sensitive paper documents is an important first step, but it doesn’t end there,” said Lisa Riggs BBB executive director. “That’s why BBB experts will also be distributing important advice and simple steps everyone can take to prevent ID theft in their daily lives, both online and off.”
Last year alone, 8.1 million Americans became victims of ID theft, resulting in the loss of $45 billion, according to a 2008 report from Javelin Strategy and Research. The report notes that the majority (56 percent) of ID theft occurs when the thief had direct contact with the victim’s personal information, through a stolen or lost wallet, rifling through a personal mailbox or trashcan, or even lifting documents from inside a home or business.
“This is largely a crime of access,” added Riggs. “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 with like events, we’ll have a tremendous coast-to-coast presence that will reach a lot of people and, hopefully, stop a lot of theft.”
BBB Secure Your ID Day Details
Who: Better Business Bureau Serving Newfoundland & Labrador with national partners Equifax and the National Association for Information Destruction and local partners Iron Mountain.
What: Free on the spot document shredding and prescriptive advice for protecting your identity from ID thieves.
When: Saturday October 18th, 2008 from 11:00am to 3:00pm.
Where: Parking lot of the BBB, 360 Topsail Road, (east of the Village Mall at the corner of Topsail and Forbes Street).
Just 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.
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 ReportsTM 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, 127 BBBs serve communities across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating and monitoring more than 3 million local and national businesses and charities. Please visit www.bbb.org or www.nl.bbb.org for more information about BBB.