Shredding event helps keep identity safe

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) will be holding its Free Document Shred event for the Ellensburg community.

This year the event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 24 in the Super 1 Foods parking lot.

A second event will take place Saturday Nov. 7 at the Cle Elum Police Department from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“It doesn’t matter who wants to participate,” said Carol Findley, director of RSVP. “It’s to provide a free service.”

Due to the popularity of the event, people are asked to bring no more than two boxes of documents. Attendees have the option to either drop off their documents or stay and watch.

“People call me asking when our next shred event is going to be,” Findley said. “Last spring the truck was bulging.”

Database Secure Records Destruction provides a shredding truck that pulverizes the documents. They destroy the materials and the take them to Seattle where they are recycled safely.

“People need to be destroying and shredding their documents,” Findley said. “A lot of people have boxes and boxes of stuff in their attics.”

For the past several years, Findley has requested grants to fund the cost of the truck and staff. Each year, she writes grant letters to receive enough funding for two events, which take place in the spring and fall. This fall, the Kittitas County Law and Justice Council provided a grant for the event.

For people who do not have documents to shred, but want to know more about identity theft and prevention, packets will be available for pick up. These packets include information on how long to keep certain documents, tips on how to keep your identity safe and a “Refusal Script” to end telemarketer phone calls.

“It’s important to note that this is not for businesses,” said Gene Dana, Kittitas County Sheriff.

Sheriff Dana and Deputy Sheriff Jerry Shuart, both trained in fraud prevention, and will be at the event to answer any questions residents may have about preventing identity theft or other suspicious activity.

“The most important part of this event is the education,” Dana said.

Each year in Kittitas County, the Sheriff’s office investigates an average of 80 fraud and identity theft complaints alone, in addition to the countless number of destroyed mailboxes, which could be linked to identity theft.

While most victims never find out how their information has been stolen, many thieves get what they are looking for by stealing purses, wallets or account information out of mailboxs.

According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book, from Jan. 1, 2008 to Dec. 31, 2008, Washington state ranked 14th highest in identity theft complaints and fifth highest in fraud and other complaints.

If a person feels victimized by identity theft or fraud, they should contact local law enforcement immediately.

“Many times it goes out of state, but we have ways of sharing information with other agencies,” Dana said.

When giving out personal information on the Internet, always make sure it is a secure Web site and do not give out information if you feel uncomfortable.

“A lot of people that are victims really need to tell somebody,” Findley said. “It costs thousands and thousands of dollars and it just ruins your life.”

For more information on the Free Document Shred, or information on how to volunteer, please contact Carol Findley at 509-962-4311 or RSVP@fairpoint.net.