Chicago, IL – April 12, 2012 - The Better
Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois, in conjunction with
various government agencies, invites consumers and businesses to protect their
identities by shredding unwanted personal, financial or confidential documents
for FREE at the annual "Shred It and Forget It" Shredder Day at the
United Center Parking Lot E, on Wood St. between Madison and Warren Blvd, in
Chicago from 9AM-2PM on Saturday, June 23. Free electronics recycling
will also be available.
Crime statistics show that last year alone, more than 9.9
million Americans were victims of identity theft, costing them roughly $5
billion.
Hosts of the annual event include the Better
Business Bureau along with the City of Chicago,
Chicago Police Department, FBI, FTC, Illinois Attorney General's Office, and
United States Postal Inspection Service.
As of January 1, 2012 the Electronic Products
Recycling & Reuse Act requires people to recycle their electronic
devices including televisions, monitors, printers and computers, rather than
allow them to be disposed of in a landfill.
TVs, monitors, laptops, PCs, servers, data storage devices, printers, fax/copy
machines, cell phones, VCRs, DVD players, video cameras and game consoles are
among the types of electronic equipment that will be collected for recycling at
the event. To learn more about the electronics you can recycle at this event,
visit www.chicagoshreds.com
Participants are asked to limit the material they want
shred to 10 boxes of documents per vehicle. There
will also be free home shredders given away during the event every 30 minutes.
You can register online to win a free shredder at www.chicagoshreds.com
Representatives from the participating
organizations will be available at "Shred It and Forget It" on
June 23rd to offer guidelines for shredding documents and to answer questions
about how to keep your personal information safe.
Here are some suggestions for deciding how
long to keep personal financial information:
- A good rule of thumb is to keep all tax
returns and supporting documentation for seven years. The IRS has three
years from your tax-filing date to audit, and has six years to challenge a
claim.
- Keep credit card statements for seven years if
tax related expenses are documented.
- Keep paycheck stubs for one year. Be sure to
cross reference the paycheck stub to the W-2 form.
- Be sure to keep bank statements and canceled
checks for at least one year.
- Bills should be kept for one year or until the
canceled check has been returned. Receipts for large ticket items should
be kept for insurance purposes.
- Home improvement receipts should be kept for
six years or permanently.
- Items such as birth certificates, social
security cards, insurance policies, titles or wills should be kept
permanently in a safety deposit box.
- If you are going to dispose
of documents with sensitive information, be sure to SHRED!
More information about the "Shred It and
Forget It" Shredder Day event can be found at www.chicagoshreds.com
For more information on how to protect your
identity, visit www.bbb.org
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As a private, non-profit organization, the
purpose of the Better Business Bureau is to promote an ethical marketplace.
BBBs help resolve buyer/seller complaints by means of conciliation, mediation
and arbitration. BBBs also review advertising claims, online business practices
and charitable organizations. BBBs develop and issue reports on businesses and
nonprofit organizations and encourage people to check out a company or charity
before making a purchase or donation.
