Office of the Attorney General
Attorney General Conway Announces Totals for Free Shredding Events

Attorney General Jack Conway today announced that more than more than 450 people participated in this weekend’s free shredding events in Louisville and Lexington that were coordinated by the Attorney General’s Office, the Better Business Bureau and Iron Mountain Shredding Company. More than 20,000 pounds of documents were shredded at the two locations.

“I am pleased that hundreds of Kentuckians took advantage of this opportunity to dispose of old documents that, if they fell into the wrong hands, could compromise their safety and financial security,” General Conway said. “Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in American and shredding your personal documents is one of the easiest ways to prevent this crime.”

Participants could shred up to two large boxes or 50 pounds of documents for free. Old tax returns, pay stubs, bank statements, credit-card bills and receipts were processed on site by Iron Mountain.

In 2007, more than 8.5 million Americans were the victims of identity theft, costing consumers about $45 billion.

Identity Theft Tips

• Do not keep Social-Security card in wallet or purse.
• Do not put bills or checks in home mailbox for pickup.
• Check credit reports, bank statements and credit-card statements often for irregularities.
• Shred all documents with personal information.
• Never give personal information to someone on phone, internet or email claiming to be your bank.
• Do not store credit-card number on shopping websites.

Victims of identity theft may obtain a tool kit from the Office of the Attorney General to assist in repairing credit, filing police reports and preparing sworn affidavits. The tool kit is available at www.ag.ky.gov to by calling the Office of the Attorney General’s Identity Theft Hotline at 1-800-804-7556.