Reduce your chances of becoming a victim of ID theft by safely destroying your personal documents with the help of AARP Pennsylvania, York County Economic Alliance and Continental Paper Grading at a  free Shredding Event:

 Saturday, September 19
10 a.m. -2 p.m.
Continental Paper Grading
3350 Concord Road
York, Pa 17402

Bring your unwanted documents and files and watch them get shredded on site.

There is no fee for this community service. However, we will be collecting school supply items to be shared with local school districts.

Follow these simple tips for shredding your personal documents:

Q. What documents should I shred?

A. Start by shredding junk mail and old papers that carry your Social Security number (but don’t destroy your Social Security card), birth date, signature, account numbers, passwords or PINs.

Shred deposit slips and ATM and credit card receipts immediately after you get your monthly statements. Shred used airline tickets, unneeded medical bills, preapproved credit card applications and expired IDs such as driver’s licenses, medical insurance cards and passports.

Some more shredding advice:

• Hold on to bank statements and canceled checks (or copies) for one year, but keep checks needed for your tax returns—such as charitable donations or tax payments—for seven years.

• Papers and checks related to a home purchase or sale, or improvements, and contributions made to an IRA, should be kept indefinitely.

• Shred paycheck stubs after the income is noted on a W-2 or other tax form.

• Shred monthly retirement and investment account statements after you get the annual statement for the entire year. Keep the annual statement indefinitely.

• Keep utility bills for one year if you want to compare that month’s costs to the previous year. Otherwise, shred them sooner.

Sign up for Fraud Watch Network Alerts
AARP’s new Fraud Watch Network is designed to give you access to information to help you protect yourself, your family and friends from identity theft and fraud. It’s free and open to both AARP members and non-members of any age.

By joining AARP’s Fraud Watch Network, you will learn the most effective ways to protect yourself and your loved ones from identity theft and fraud. Sign up online or by calling our Fraud Watch Network Hotline toll-free at 1-877-908-3360, and have your email address added to the Fraud Watch distribution list.