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Credit Union ONE member Gwen Zielinski unloads her car and prepares to have her documents shredded at Community Shred Day |
Ferndale, Michigan – Credit Union ONE hosted a “Shred Day” at its’ Macomb Branch on Saturday, October 22, 2011. Approximately 300 people turned out to protect themselves from identity theft and fraud by shredding more than three tons of confidential personal and business documents.
Important information, such as social security numbers, addresses, account information, financial records or personal data, can be stolen and used to open lines of credit, charge existing credit cards or falsify personal information. Shredding documents that contain private information can protect individuals and businesses from fraudulent use of confidential data.
“Every year several million people are victims of identity theft. The shredding event was created to raise awareness about the risks of identity theft and fraud, and to provide a safe and convenient way to dispose of unneeded paperwork," said John Kozich, Executive Director of Community Relations for Credit Union ONE. "We saw many of our members today, but also several people from the community attended."
Kozich coordinated the three hour event, working closely with Bill Becker, Co-Owner of Shred Corp., the industry-leading company that donated their time and equipment to provide secure onsite shredding services. "The purpose of this event was to inform people about the importance of disposing documents that contain important personal information like social security numbers or account information," said Becker. "If you throw that sort of information into the trash can, people can actually use it to steal your identity, and we want to help prevent that from happening."
After the event, the shredded paper waste was taken away for recycling into paper towel. Upcoming Shred Day events are scheduled for other Credit Union ONE branches in the spring of 2012.
Credit Union ONE, headquartered in Ferndale Michigan for over seventy years, offers a wide array of financial services and access to over 28,000 ATM’s nationwide, serving 106,000 members, with nineteen offices in three major metropolitan areas, including Metro Detroit, Grand Rapids and Traverse City. For more information go to http://www.cuone.org/
Contact Judi Desilets, Director of Public Relations for Credit Union ONE, 248-584-5224, Judi_Desilets@cuone.org
