Companies Join BBB to Help Consumers Secure Identity

BBB of Eastern North Carolina is hosting a shredding event encouraging consumers to protect their identity by shredding personal papers and financial information.

[USPRwire, Mon Oct 12 2009] Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina (www.bbb.org) announces sponsors for its "Secure Your ID" Day event on October 17, 2009. The free shredding event is being held at Ridgewood Shopping Center (3514 Wade Ave., Raleigh, NC 27607) from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Local sponsors include:
• Coastal Federal Credit Union (www.coastal24.com)
• Curtis Media (www.curtismedia.com)
• Sports Radio AM 850 the Buzz (www.850thebuzz.com)
• Sports Radio 620 AM the Bull (www.620thebull.com)

"The majority of fraudulent activity that I see is directly tied to personal information that was taken from paper sources," says Wayne Williams, Coastal Federal Credit Union's senior fraud investigator. "I recommend keeping all personal papers and financial information secure. Once you no longer need them, they should be properly destroyed by shredding."

Sponsored nationally by the National Association of Information Destruction (www.naidonline.org), BBBs coast-to-coast will be taking part in "Secure Your ID" Day events. During the April 18, 2009 event, 43 BBBs across the United States joined together to shred 375 tons of documents at 70 sites.

"We've had fantastic turnout at our local events, including a record 514 participants in April," says Beverly Baskin, president and CEO of Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina. "This is a direct result of our sponsors' generosity, and we are thankful to have them alongside us as we raise awareness of the importance of identity protection.

Participants are encouraged to bring up to three boxes or bags of documents to be shredded. Materials should be removed from binders. At the event, BBB and other partner organizations will provide tips and resources to help consumers protect their identity.

For local event information, visit www.easternnc.bbb.org/secure-your-id.

About BBB serving Eastern North Carolina:
The Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina is a 501 (c)(6) not-for-profit corporation serving 33 counties in Eastern North Carolina. The organization is funded primarily by BBB Accredited Business fees from more than 2,900 local businesses and professional firms. The BBB promotes integrity, consumer confidence and business ethics through business self-regulation in the local marketplace. Services provided by the BBB include, reports on companies and charitable organizations, general monitoring of advertising in the marketplace, dispute resolution services, and consumer/business education programs. All services are provided at no cost to the public, with the occasional exception of mediation and arbitration. Visit www.bbb.org.

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