Your BBB will be hosting its Secure Your ID Day on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Routsong Funeral Home, 81 N. Main St., Centerville. At this free event, your BBB will shred documents containing personal information for you onsite to help protect you from ID thieves. In 2013, your BBB shredded more than three million pounds of sensitive documents at more than 113 locations across the U.S. and Canada.
To help combat identity theft, your Better Business Bureau suggests you:
• Check your credit reports regularly. You’re allowed one free credit report per year from each of the three credit bureaus. You can request yours at www.annualcreditreport.com.
• Monitor account statements to be sure you were the source for all activity.
• Shred credit card applications and statements before throwing them away.
• Never give out personal information to unfamiliar people or companies.
• Memorize your passwords and change them regularly.
• Cut up credit cards before pitching them and limit the amount of cards you carry.
• Update your computer with the latest anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
• Only submit personal information on secure Web sites. They should have “https” in the address.
• Don’t respond to e-mails requesting you verify personal information. Avoid unsolicited e-mails and never click on links from unknown sources.
• Keep your mail safe. Stop mail delivery if you’re traveling.
If you have any questions regarding identity theft, visit www.bbb.org or call (937) 222-5825 or (800) 776-5301. When contacting your BBB about identity theft, request a copy of a consumer records retention schedule.
About the Author