In the United States, identity theft occurs every two seconds, and 56 percent of those victims trace the incident back to stolen private information. To help prevent this in the Triangle community, Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina is hosting a fall “Secure Your ID” Day event in partnership with Coastal Credit Union, a not-for-profit financial cooperative committed to providing its members the services they need affordably, conveniently and professionally.
The event will be held at the Coastal headquarters off Wake Forest Road in Raleigh, Saturday, Nov. 4, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Triangle residents can take advantage of complimentary document shredding, collection of computers and hard drives for secure destruction, electric/electronics recycling and identity protection tips. Local partners Shred-It and GEEP will be onsite.
“Protecting an individual’s identity greatly depends on safe disposal of sensitive documents and electronics,” says Mallory Wojciechowski, president and CEO of BBB serving Eastern North Carolina. “Thousands of people become victims of identity fraud because they simply do not know how to properly dispose of documents and electronics that contain personal information. We began hosting our free shred events for this very reason — to offer the perfect opportunity for individuals to protect themselves.”
The event is an easy drive-thru experience for community members, so they never have to leave their cars. Each vehicle is directed to appropriate stations where volunteers collect paper and devices, allowing participants to watch as their sensitive belongings are destroyed or recycled.
People are encouraged to bring up to three boxes/bags of documents that have been removed from binders and up to five electric/electronic devices. Accepted items include computers, cell phones, tablets, TVs, printers, fax machines, DVD/CD players, microwaves and toasters. Items that are not accepted include liquids, loose batteries, thermostats, light bulbs, refrigerators, paint cans and all speakers larger than 18 inches. To date, the semi-annual “Secure Your ID” Day events have safely destroyed over 400,000 lbs. of sensitive documents and recycled over 100,000 lbs. of electronics.
“We’re ecstatic to partner with BBB for another year to host such an important event,” said Coastal spokesman Joe Mecca. “Identity fraud reports continue to increase each year, making ‘Secure Your ID’ Day more relevant than ever. Anyone can fall victim, so we can’t think of a better opportunity to give back to our members and the Triangle community. We look forward to another great turnout this fall!”
The Nov. 4 event will be held at Coastal’s location at 1000 St. Albans Drive, off Wake Forest Road near North Hills shopping center. Additional event information is available at www.bbbshred.org.
About BBB serving Eastern North Carolina:
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 over 3,600 local businesses and professional firms. BBB promotes integrity, consumer confidence and business ethics through business self-regulation in the local marketplace. Services provided by BBB include reports on companies and charitable organizations, general monitoring of advertising in the marketplace, consumer/business education programs and dispute resolution services. All services are provided at no cost to the public, with the occasional exception of mediation and arbitration. Visit bbb.org.
About Coastal Credit Union
Coastal Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned, financial cooperative, offering a full range of financial products and services. Coastal was chartered on August 31, 1967 with the mission of fostering the credit union philosophy of “people helping people.” Today, with $2.9 billion in assets, Coastal serves 237,000 members from 1,700 business partners and is among the leading financial institutions in North Carolina. Coastal operates 22 branches in central North Carolina and serves members in all 50 states through a network of 5,000 shared branches, mobile banking featuring mobile check deposit, and a robust offering of online services at www.COASTAL24.com.
