Attorney General's News Release

April 30, 2008

Nixon invites consumers to fight ID theft, shred unneeded documents at St. Louis Galleria this Saturday

St. Louis, Mo. - St. Louis-area residents will have an opportunity to fight identity theft by shredding their unneeded confidential documents free of charge this Saturday, May 3. Attorney General Jay Nixon invites consumers to participate in the annual Shred Day at the St. Louis Galleria in Brentwood between 8 a.m. and noon.

Nixon's office and other law enforcement agencies are sponsoring the event, which will feature a mobile shred truck donated by Shred-It, a document security company. Consumers and businesses are invited to bring up to three boxes of confidential documents like check stubs, bank statements and credit card offers to be shredded for free on site.

"Identity thieves get some of their best material rummaging through trash cans finding old receipts and bank statements to get personal information," Nixon said. "Shredding confidential, unneeded documents is a key way consumers can protect themselves.
Nixon says other identity theft prevention tips include:

• Never give out personal information like bank account, credit card or Social Security numbers to anyone who contacts you. Only provide that data if you have initiated the contact.

• Send sensitive mail using a secure, locking drop box, rather than your curbside mailbox.

• Leave your Social Security number off your checks and driver's license.

• Opt out of pre-approved credit cards offers at www.optoutprescreen.com or 1-888-5OPTOUT.

• Carry only the documents and credit cards you need. Wallet and purse theft is also a rich source of information for identity thieves.

• Freeze your credit report with the three credit bureaus. You can find instructions at ago.mo.gov.

Nixon also encourages consumers to watch out for identity theft by checking monthly bank statements, credit card statements and their credit report, which they can do for free three times a year at www.annualcreditreport.com or 877-322-8228.

Nixon offers an ID Theft Hotline at 1-800-392-8222, which consumers can call to report being a victim or to get further information. Identity theft resources are available at the Attorney General's Web site, ago.mo.gov.

Along with Nixon's office, sponsors of Shred Day include the Better Business Bureau, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Trade Commission.

Take the MO AG's Identity Theft quiz