The Better Business Bureau (BBB) invites the Middle Georgia community to BBB “Secure Your ID” Day Saturday. September 27, 2014, at WalMart Supercenter, 5955 Zebulon Road in Macon.  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 documents. The BBB staff will be on-site to provide expert advice and tips for identity theft protection. 

“Shredding sensitive paper documents is an important step, but it doesn’t end there,” said Kelvin Collins, BBB President/CEO.  “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 has 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 Collins.  “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.”  

BBB Secure Your ID Day Details

Who: Better Business Bureau serving Middle Georgia with national partner the National Association for Information Destruction and local partners The Telegraph, 13WMAZ, Shred-cycle, Inc.

What:  Free on-the-spot document shredding and tips and resources for protecting your identity.

When: Saturday, September, 27 from 10:00 am to 12:00 (noon)

Where: WalMart Supercenter, 5955 Zebulon Rd, Macon

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.