By Dawn Burleigh

The Orange Leader

 

PINEHURST — For the second year, the city of Pinehurst and Sabine Federal Credit Union are joining together to offer Shred It and Forget It from 9 a.m. – 12 noon on Saturday, April 21 at 1939 Strickland Drive in Pinehurst.

“It was very well attended last year,” Coty Administrator Robbie Hood said. “The employees of the credit union, Pinehurst staff and council members worked together to help.”

Kristen Tompkins, of Sabine Federal Credit Union, said the event is an opportunity for residents to get rid of documents securely.

“It can help prevent fraud,” Tompkins said. “Documents with your names and socials can be used for identity theft.”

Properly shredding and disposing of such documents can lower ones chances of experiencing identity theft.

Personal records, old tax returns, financial statements, and file folders will be accepted.

In 2010, data breach victims had a 1-in-9 chance of being affected by identity theft. But now your chances are 1-in-3 if your information has been part of a breach according to identityforce.com.

Just over 17 million people in the United States age 16 or older were victims of at least one incident of identity theft in 2014. The most common type of identity theft is the unauthorized use of existing accounts, like credit card and bank accounts.

Those between the ages of 20 and 29 have the highest odds of becoming identity theft victims — a nearly 1-in-5 chance.

Medical identity theft, the fastest growing form of identity theft, increased by about 22 percent in 2014.

Every hour in the United States, there are 74 robberies — but nearly 2,000 identity theft incidents.