News from the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders

Public Information Contacts: Linda Van Zandt / Joanne Vuoso / Lisa Krueger

908.231.7020    publicinfo@co.somerset.nj.us

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June 5, 2009

 

Help Prevent Identity Theft: 

‘Operation Secure Shred’ June 20

 

            SOMERVILLE – Somerset County residents are invited to have personal documents shredded at a free, on-site, mobile paper-shredding event Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Somerset County Board of Social Services parking lot at 73 E. High St., between Grove and Mechanic streets.   This event will be held rain or shine.

 

 “Operation Secure Shred” is sponsored by the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders and is a courtesy of the Somerset County Division of Consumer Protection.

 

Documents will be commercially shredded safely, privately and properly by trained, licensed and bonded document-destruction specialists.  Residents may bring documents in whatever type of container they wish.  Staples and paperclips do not have to be removed.  Papers will be dumped and the container will be returned to the resident.  Participants may stay and watch the process, if they wish.  

 

            “Properly disposing of personal documents is a necessary step in safeguarding and protecting your personal information and credit and preventing identify theft,” said Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, consumer affairs liaison. “Last year over 4 tons of materials were shredded at the county’s second shredding event.”

 

The county will hold another shredding event on Sunday, Oct. 4, in conjunction with the annual Somerville Street Fair. The time and location will be the same. 

 

A 2005 Federal Trade Commission survey released in Nov. 2007 revealed that 8.3 million Americans had been victims of identity theft in 2005.  According to the Better Business Bureau and Javelin Strategy & Research, in 2007, victims of identity theft numbered over 30 million people, representing $49.3 billion in losses and $5,720 per victim. The mean resolution time for the average victim was 25 hours.

 

            For further information, contact the Somerset County Division of Consumer Protection at 908-203-6080 or consumeprotection@co.somerset.nj.us.