BBB Holds Bi-Annual Free Shredding Event To Help Fight Identity Theft

On Saturday, April 20th, the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau will host “ShredFest”, a free document shredding event that helps people protect themselves from identity theft, the top consumer complaint to the Federal Trade Commission for the last two years. 

The event will be held at the Layton State Bank West Allis branch, 10427 W. Lincoln Avenue, from 8:30 am to 11am. There is a limit of three boxes per car. Layton State Bank and Proshred Security are co-sponsoring the event. 

In 2012, there were 4,055 reported cases of identity theft in Wisconsin, according to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network (CSN) report (a 46% jump from 2011).  According to the report, Wisconsin ranks 31st in the nation for the most reported cases of identity theft per 100,000 residents (up six spots). Milwaukee ranks 98th. 

In Wisconsin, government documents/benefits fraud was the most common form of reported identity theft at 46 percent, followed by credit card fraud (15 percent), phone or utilities fraud (8 percent), bank fraud (6 percent), employment-related fraud (4 percent) and loan fraud (2 percent). 

Those aged 20 – 29 remain the most heavily targeted group, making up 21 percent of the total number of victims reporting their age in CSN. 

Shredding personal information is an important first step in identity theft protection. In fact, most identity theft cases occur after personal information has been lost or stolen, which is why the BBB encourages consumers to dispose of unneeded personal documents responsibly. 

“This is a perfect opportunity for consumers to protect their identities by shredding unwanted personal, financial, confidential and business documents free of charge,” said Ran Hoth, CEO/president of the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau. “Identity theft is a serious crime. Many people don’t realize how easy it is for criminals to get hold of our personal information. Shredding personal documents is an important first step in identity theft protection.” 

The BBB’s shredding event is part of a larger, national shredding day hosted by BBB offices throughout the United States. In addition to the event in Milwaukee, the BBB will be hosting shredding events in Green Bay and Madison. 

For more information, including a records retention schedule and a list of items that should be shredded, go to www.wisconsin.bbb.org/shredfest. 

For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.wisconsin.bbb.org or 414-847-6000 (metro Milwaukee), 920-734-4352 (Appleton), 608-268-2221 (Madison) or 1-800-273-1002 (elsewhere in Wisconsin). Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping consumers find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2012, consumers turned to BBB 124 million times for Business Reviews on more than 4.5 million companies and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for 113 local, independent BBBs across the United States and Canada, as well as home to its national programs on dispute resolution and industry self-regulation.