WESTERVILLE – We keep a lot of sensitive information around our houses – from routine financial and medical information to copies of our legal documents, like power-of-attorney or wills. In fact, we generally don’t think twice about where these documents are located.
Disposing of these documents improperly can make you a target for identity theft.
The best way to make sure any documents you want to dispose of cannot be misused by criminals is to shred them. It’s the best way to prevent criminals from stealing your personal information and opening up accounts in your name. That’s why it’s important to shred all your papers before they’re discarded, whether you run out of space in a file cabinet or simply decide it’s time to purge some old papers. That includes old credit cards and statements, as well as old utility bills and other documents that may have information that could be used by someone trying to defraud you.
If you have documents to get rid of, but no way to shred them, the City of Westerville is hosting a community shredding day from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, May 7.
The event will be held at Hoff Woods Park at 556 McCorkle Blvd. That’s between County Line Rd. and Maxtown Rd.
Westerville residents can bring up to three boxes of documents to shred for free. Boxes should not be taped shut. No plastic bags or tubs will be accepted. All shredding will happen offsite.