ID Theft Seminar Includes Document Shredding Service

Identity theft continues to be an increasing crime, and a free seminar is designed to help you avoid being the next victim.

The seminar, called "Stop Identity Theft," will be Thursday morning at the Florence-Lauderdale Coliseum.

A document shredding service will be available in conjunction with the seminar.

The seminar is presented by the Better Business Bureau of the Shoals, Listerhill Credit Union and University of North Alabama Small Business Development Center.

Christy Yeiser, regional vice president over the bureau in the Shoals, said each person can bring up to two bags or boxes of documents, checkbooks and files that have sensitive information. Those will be shredded by a professional shredding company in the area. She said it is not necessary to remove staples and paper clips.

You can go through the line more than once, if you have additional items.

Paul Davis, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission, will conduct a seminar from 9-11 a.m.

Registration for the seminar begins at 8:30 a.m. Those who register will receive information on detecting and preventing identification theft. Refreshments and door prizes also will be available.

Yeiser said there were more than 8.1 million cases of ID theft nationwide in 2007. That resulted in some $45 billion in losses.

"Over half of that was traced to some type of paper trail," Yeiser said.

That includes items that could be taken from your mailbox or garbage, or even from your own possession, she said.

"Only one-third of ID thefts occurred online or through some other electronic means," Yeiser said.

"It is extremely important for businesses to safely destroy personal information of their customers and employees and it is equally important for all residents to shred their sensitive documents."

She said identity theft can result in a long nightmare of problems, depending on how much damage the thief did with your identification, and how many places he or she purchased items from while using your identification.