Today, we have more information online than ever before. At the same time, many of us still have valuable documents printed and available in a physical form.
Fraudsters can use the information they collect from paper documents to impersonate you online and to quickly rack up fraudulent transactions that cost you time and money. The far reach of the internet makes it even more critical to keep your information safe and secure. At Andrews Federal, we are focused on keeping our members and our community safe. We are hosting a Shred Day event, at which people can securely dispose of confidential documents or materials that include personal information.
Shred Day Details
Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: 5711 Allentown Road, Camp Springs, MD 20746
Cost: Free to the public (limit two containers per vehicle)
Items that Can Be Shredded:
- Items containing staples and paper clips
- Carbonless forms
- Manila File folders
- Envelopes (w/ and w/o a window or large clasp)
- Non-plastic pocket folders
Items that Cannot Be Shredded:
- Heavy cardboard, metal, or plastic
- Items with spiral binding (metal or plastic)
- Large metal binder clips
- 3-ring binders
- Electronics
- CD-ROMs/CDRs/DVDs, diskettes/floppy disks
- Computer backups or hard drives
Why Is Shredding Documents Important?
Shredding documents is a simple, low-tech way option to protect your critical information, and can be used in conjunction with other ways you protect your information digitally. Shredding documents can help:
- Prevent Identity Theft: When you shred your financial account statements, credit card offers, medical records, and other sensitive documents, you can significantly reduce the risk that your information will become accessible to fraudsters and be used to impersonate you.
- Protect Financial Data: In addition to stealing your identity, fraudsters can also wreak havoc just by getting their hands on your financial documents. Account statements, tax documents and investment records contain information fraudsters could use to access your funds. When you shred these documents, you give them one less avenue to access your money and steal your peace of mind.
- Maintain Privacy: Even if documents do not contain financial or confidential information, they may include information you’d rather not have public. Personal correspondence and other sensitive documents can be shredded to give you additional peace of mind about your privacy.
In addition to keeping your information more secure, shredding documents can also reduce waste.
- Paper Recycling: Shredded paper can be recycled into new products, which conserves natural resources and reduces the need for fresh paper production.
- Waste Reduction: Instead of putting paper into the trash, which ends up in landfills, a Shred Day can help to actively divert paper waste.
- Resource Savings: Recycling shredded paper requires less energy and water compared to producing new paper from raw materials.
Mark your calendars and come out for Andrews Federal Credit Union's Shred Day. Safely dispose of your sensitive documents, reduce resource use connect with others in your community.
Stay tuned for event details and updates by following Andrews Federal's social media accounts (Facebook, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram).