Community Corner
Woburn To Host Shred-It Event To Help Residents Avoid Identity Theft
The event is free for residents, who are advised to shred items like tax information, investment records, paycheck stubs and ATM receipts.
WOBURN, MA — The City of Woburn is hosting a Shred-It Event this weekend to help residents protect themselves against identity theft.
The event, which is free for Woburn residents, is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at City Hall, 10 Common St., and will give attendees a chance to properly dispose of outdated personal and financial documents.
The local office of Shred-it will be providing the shredding services, city officials said.
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Officials have asked that participants bring documents in paper and plastic bags.
According to city officials, a recent study found that 7.5 million people in the U.S. are victims of identity fraud each year. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates the typical loss to individuals is more than $4,900.
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"It's more important than ever to protect our personal information as a way of fighting back against identity theft," Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin said. "(Saturday's) event delivers residents an easy way to identify and properly dispose of outdated personal information that could leave them exposed if it landed in the wrong hands."
Among the items that should be shredded, according to city officials are:
- Tax information and returns
- Investment records and statements
- Paycheck stubs
- ATM receipts
- Insurance policies
- Home financial information
Credit card statements "probably should be shredded," officials said. Though people should keep receipts until they have compared them with their bank statements.
Bank statements, meanwhile, should be kept for three to seven years if they support any tax deductions and verify information on tax returns, including W-2 AND 1099 forms, officials said.
Residents should keep home-related documents like deeds, mortgages and information about home improvement projects for as long as they own their home, and for three additional years for tax purposes.
More information about the shredding event and additional advice on document retention and disposal are available on the City of Woburn website.
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