Missouri AG Nixon Invites Consumers To Fight Identity Theft

Shred Unneeded Documents At Columbia’s Reactor Field This Saturday; Shred Day is Saturday, September 8, 9am to noon at Reactor Field in Columbia, Missouri.

September 4, 2007 -- Jefferson City, Mo. — Central Missourians will have an opportunity to fight identity theft by shredding their unneeded confidential documents free of charge this Saturday (Sept. 8). Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon, the Better Business Bureau and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service invite consumers to participate in Shred Day 2007 in Columbia between 9 a.m. and noon. The event will take place at the Reactor Field parking lot off of Providence Road, between Stadium and Nifong.

Nixon says the event will feature a mobile shred truck donated by Cintas Document Management. Consumers and businesses are invited to bring up to three boxes of confidential documents like check stubs, bank statements and credit card offers to be shredded for free.

“Identity thieves get some of their best material rummaging through trash cans finding old receipts and bank statements to get personal information,” Nixon said. “Shredding sensitive trash is a key way consumers can protect themselves.”

Other identity theft prevention tips from Nixon include:

* Never give out personal information like bank account, credit-card or Social Security numbers to anyone who contacts you. Only provide that data if you have initiated the contact.
* Send sensitive mail using a secure, locking drop box, rather than your curbside mailbox.
* Leave your Social Security numbers off checks and driver’s licenses.
* Opt out of pre-approved credit cards offers at www.optoutprescreen.com or 1-888-5OPTOUT.
* Carry only the documents and credit cards you need. Wallet and purse theft is also a rich source of information for identity thieves.
* Keep computers protected with a firewall, spyware detection and anti-virus software.

Nixon also encourages consumers to watch out for identity theft by checking monthly bank statements, credit-card statements and their credit report, which they can check for free three times a year at www.annualcreditreport.com or 877-322-8228.

Nixon offers an ID Theft Hotline at 1-800-392-8222, which consumers can call to report being a victim or to get further information. Identity theft resources are available at the Attorney General’s Web site, ago.mo.gov.

Along with Nixon’s office, sponsors of Shred Day include the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Louis-area Better Business Bureau, which serves central Missouri.

Source: Missouri Attorney General