PHOENIX, AZ (February 13, 2012) – As part of its ongoing commitment to combat identity theft, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is partnering with Shred-It to offer a free Shred-A-Thon on Thursday, February 16th, 2012 at Sam’s Club, 1225 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert, AZ 85234. Members of the public will be able to safely destroy up to five boxes of unneeded tax returns, financial documents and other papers with personal information at no cost. The event will also offer free electronics recycling of computers, cell phones, hard drives and other unwanted electronic devices.
The event will take place from 7:00am – 11:00am, or until the shredding and recycling trucks reach full capacity.
“Identity theft is a serious crime with lasting consequences. One of the easiest and most effective ways citizens can protect themselves from becoming victims is to destroy unneeded records and documents containing personal information,” remarked Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. “Along with our partners at Shred-It, my office is committed to helping people safely and securely get rid of these materials at no cost,” he added.
Among the documents citizens are encouraged to bring to the Shred-A-Thon are:
- Tax returns older than 5 years
- Statements from banks and financial institutions
- Cancelled checks
- Paycheck stubs
- Credit card applications
- Unneeded medical records and billing statements
Large document shredding trucks will be available at each location to shred up to five full file boxes of documents per person at no cost. Volunteers with the County Attorney’s Office will be available to assist with unloading boxes from vehicles and to provide free brochures and information on preventing identity theft.
For more information on how to protect yourself against Identity Theft, please visit the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office website at www.maricopacountyattorney.org.
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