‘Shred Fest 2016’ Helps Los Angeles-Area Consumers Avoid Risk of Identity Theft

Local Event one of Dozens Scheduled Nationwide to Provide Secure Document Destruction

As part of its ongoing efforts to help consumers avoid falling victim to identity theft, AARP CA is joining with the District Office of Councilman Curren Price and the California Attorney General’s Office to bring “ Shred Fest 2016” – an event to provide free shredding of personal documents and other sensitive records to Los Angeles community on Saturday, April 30 ^th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 4301 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA  90011.

Did you know that trash is public property? According to a 1988 Supreme Court ruling, anyone has the right to go through your trash without your permission. A bit scary, don’t you think?

When you put a piece of paper in the trash it can be difficult to know what happens to it. Since few people burn trash anymore, it is likely that your trash passes through several stages on its way to a landfill or incinerator. Every step that occurs once the trash leaves your control has risk that someone will find personal information they can use to cause you harm.

One way to safeguard personal information is to shred it before it goes into the trash.

The Los Angeles event is one of dozens of Shred Fest 2016 events scheduled for communities nationwide, during Money Smart Week^® April 23-30, with support from the AARP Fraud Watch Network and the AARP Foundation .

AARP is arming Americans with the tools they need to spot and avoid fraud and scams so they can protect themselves and their families. To receive information about the latest scams and prevention tips as well as access to resources from a network of experts directly in your inbox,  sign up for the Fraud Watch Network newsletter, a free resource to help you protect yourself and your family from identity theft and scams. You will also receive a scam tracking map featuring warnings from local law enforcement and first-hand accounts of breaking scams from people in your state.

 Join AARP in Los Angeles for our “Shred Fest 2016” at the District Office of Councilman Curren Price on Saturday, April 1 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.                                                                                      Located at 4301 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA  90011

The United States Federal Trade Commission estimates that more than 9 million cases of identity theft take place per year. To put that into perspective there is a 1 in 33 chance you’ll have your identity stolen within the next year. Which means that shredding personal documents, including old bank statements, canceled checks, credit card offers, and any paperwork containing account numbers and Social Security numbers, is highly recommended to help protect against identity theft.

For more information on AARP Fraud Watch Network please go to www.aarp.org/FraudWatchNetwork.

Want to be the first to know about upcoming AARP events like this in your community? Sign up for our  state email and join us on  Facebook and  Twitter to stay informed!