BBB of Upstate New York, in partnership with Tops Friendly Markets, Shred-It, AT&T, Greater Baldwinsville, Cheektowaga and West Seneca chambers of commerce will host "Secure Your ID Day" from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 6.
Identity theft is at an all-time high and it along with data breaches continues to be a problem in the U.S. In 2017:
•16.7 million victims reported identity theft last year, which is an increase of 1 million from 2016; and
•Over
1 million children in the U.S. were victims of identity theft in 2017, costing families $540 million in out-of-pocket expenses.
Community members are welcome to bring up to three boxes or bags of documents for free, on-site shredding. Volunteers from partnering organizations will be on hand to assist and distribute safety tips.
AT&T is actively involved in "Secure Your ID Day" again this year providing cybersecurity tips and resources to all that attend one of the locations as part of the company's "
Digital You" and "
Cyber Aware" free online programs. For more information on online safety and digital id protection, visit
digitalyou.att.com and
att.com/cyberaware.
BBB offers the following tips to protect your identity:
- Check your credit reports regularly. You're entitled to a free credit report a year at annualcreditreport.com.
- Monitor account statements to be sure you were the source for all activity.
- Shred credit card applications and statements before throwing them away.
- Never give out personal information.
- Look for secured websites. Make sure the website has a locked pad icon and "https" in the URL.
- Protect your PINs and other passwords and change them regularly.
- Cut up credit cards before pitching them and limit the number of cards you carry.
- Consider opting out of pre-approved credit card offers, which can be stolen from your mailbox by identity thieves.
- Update your computer with the latest anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
- Sign up for the Do Not Call List at donotcall.gov.
For more information about Tops Markets, visit the company's website at
www.topsmarkets.com. Visit
bbb.org for more Better Business Bureau information.
