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Gene Kennedy ReportingIdentity theft remains one of the fastest growing forms of consumer fraud in the country. But there is something simple you can do to protect yourself.
Just like DVD players, personal paper shredders were almost unheard of 10 years ago. But they've become very popular because of the identity theft boom.
Criminals will dive into dumpsters looking for your personal information on documents left in the trash. The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department says shredding your credit card bills or sale receipts that have your personal information is a good way to prevent identity theft.
Wal-Mart has teamed up with Crime Stoppers and a company called Shred-It for a nationwide shredding event. It's happening throughout the month of April.
"Shred It" will park its mobile shredding trucks in more than 200 Wal-Mart parking lots across the nation where residents can bring their personal documents to be ripped up.
They just had a shredding event this past weekend in Layton and there's one scheduled this coming weekend in Orem. This will continue for four more Saturdays in April.
Shredding Events
Wal-Mart
- Orem, April 8
- West Jordan, April 22
- South Jordan, April 29
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This Saturday is Orem, the following is in West Jordan, then South Jordan on April 29th. The event goes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Businesses started doing this originally to protect financial information.
So hopefully this is something that can help you, given how common identity theft is these days. The latest Justice Department study shows more than three and a-half million American households report being victims of identity theft.
