Do You Shred?

Do you shred identifying documents? If not, you should.

My identity was stolen last fall, even though you might say I'm a bit OCD about shredding. In the end, the problems I had as a result of my identity being stolen were negligible, but had I not been so proactive, on top of my bank accounts, and shred as much as I do, it could have been a lot worse.

One of the most important ways to prevent identity theft is to shred all identifying documents. Let's be clear, there are certain documents you must keep, like your mortgage papers, the title to your home and car, insurance papers, tax returns, wills, birth certificates, college financial aid papers, original Social Security cards, etc. Those you should keep in a very safe place.

I'm talking about all the other stuff. According to the AARP Bulletin from October 2008, you should shred:

• pre-approved credit card, insurance, and other offers;
  
• junk mail with your name on it;
• old papers with your Social Security number on it (but NOT your original Social Security card);
• deposit slips, ATM receipts, and credit card receipts after your monthly statements arrive;
• used airline tickets;
• unneeded medical bills;
• past bank statements and canceled checks (unless you need them for tax purposes);
  
• expired IDs;
• paycheck stubs after the income is noted on your tax documents;
• monthly retirement & investment statements after the annual statement arrives (keep the annual statements forever); and
  
• utility bills unless you want to hold onto them for one year to compare to prior year's usage and costs.

If you're not currently shredding, you should start now. Shredders are fairly inexpensive and can be purchased at Target, Walmart, and many other stores. The best shredders cross-shred, which means that rather than just shredding in long strips, they shred vertically and horizontally.

You can also collect all your stuff to be shredded and head over to Village Bank & Trust at 150 E. Rand Rd. in Arlington Heights on Saturday, April 18th from 9am - 1pm with up to 3 boxes of personal documents and they'll shred it for FREE! Make sure you take this shredding coupon with you.

Jury Duty Scam - Verified by the FBI

I received the following email yesterday from the Arlington Heights Police Department Citizen Alert. Many towns, in fact, have similar citizens alerts which you can sign up to receive at Citizen Observer.

Jury Duty Scam - Verified by the FBI

Many people have received a summons to appear for jury duty. Not everyone follows through on their civic duty. Criminals are using this fact as the basis for requesting sensitive information.

The caller identifies himself as an officer of the court or jury coordinator. They say that you failed to report for jury duty and an arrest warrant was issued. You explain that you never received a summons. To clear it up, the caller asks for verification information: date of birth, social security number and maybe even a credit card number. Hang Up! If you give this information away you may lose your identity and EVERYTHING that goes with it.

This scam's simplicity makes it effective. The threat of arrest catches the victim off guard and the ability to make the problem go away quickly by just giving some information is very inviting.

NEVER give out personal information when you receive an unsolicited phone call.

The bottom line is that only you can protect your personal information. Be alert and be proactive. If it smells a bit fishy, it probably is.

Fundraising 101

I'm not going to pretend I am an expert in fundraising, although I have done some of it professionally for a political campaign and have also done some fundraising using my own business, but I do know that there are certain things you never do when trying to raise funds for your charity or political candidate. Probably the most important thing you should never do when asking someone to part with their money is to get into a pissing contest with them. For certain, you should never get into a pissing contest with me.

Here is an almost verbatim transcript of a fundraising call I received this evening:

Me: Hello?
Caller (with "private" showing up on the caller ID): Hello, Mrs. Gardner?
Me: Um, no. May I take a message.
Caller: Yes, please tell Mrs. Gardner that Robert Smith called.
Me: Okay, Mr. Smith, can I tell her what company you're with?
RS: Insight, we're a telecommunications company.
Me (thinking this call is about to end): Thank you Mr. Smith. We're on the Do Not Call Registry. Are you aware of that?
RS: I'm not trying to sell you anything. I'm calling to raise money for the Sick Kids Leukemia Fund.
Me (again, thinking this call is about to end): While I'm sure that's a worthy cause Mr. Smith, we only give money to St. Jude's Children's Research Center.
RS: Well, that's selfish! You're only giving to 1 hospital. Do you know how many kids have Leukemia? By giving to us, you're helping ALL the children. Not just the lucky ones who go to St. Jude.
Me: Mr. Smith, I appreciate your concern for the kids, but St. Jude is my choice because my cousin is the child in the silhouette logo for St. Jude's. So that's where my money goes. Thank you for calling.
RS: I don't think so. MY nephew was the ORIGINAL poster child for St. Jude's in the 70s and 80s. Where is your cousin now?
Me: Dead. And I don't think that trying to get into a pissing match with me is any way to get me to donate to your cause.
RS: I'm not trying to get into a pissing match with you. But your cousin is NOT that child in the St. Jude's logo.
Me: Mr. Smith, I was trying to be nice to you. But I never give money to anyone who just calls me out of the blue and asks for it. For all I know, you're a fraud. Take me off your GD calling list.
Click.

So what did Mr. Smith do wrong?

1. He lied to me by saying he was with a "telecommunications" company rather than telling me upfront he was
2. He insulted me by calling me "selfish" for giving money to one of the most respected children's research hospitals in the world, rather than to his unknown charity.
3. Finally, he got into a pissing contest with me over who had the most sympathetic personal relationship to St. Jude's.

Community Shred Day! Now in Arlington Heights!

You'll recall that I'm a big proponent of shredding from my two recent blog posts. In the first, I admonished Arlington Heights for not having a community shred day. And now they do! I'd like to take credit for this change of events, but even I don't believe that hype.

The Peoples' Bank of Arlington Heights (yes, they know about the typo on their website and signage) is having a Community Shred Day! Yes, they are the folks responsible for all those cute "I love Arlington Heights" t-shirts, bags, and caps and the "travelling bank."

So here's the info straight from their website:

Join us for our FREE Shredding Day on Saturday June 7th from 9:00 -1:00 at our newest location at 1104 South Arlington Heights Road.

We will provide secure, complete shredding services for any of your sensitive personal or business documents. This process not only provides exceptional security, but is environmentally friendly as all materials are used in recycling efforts.

Our FREE Shredding Day* will help you eliminate the following materials:

• Personal and business records
• Cancelled or unused checks
• Insurance policies
• Bills
• Medical records
• Invoices
• Personnel files
• Payroll records

*There will be a four box maximum for each customer.

Thanks People's Bank (the correct way) for being such great community leaders!

Community Shred Day is TOMORROW - Saturday, May 24th!

As I've discussed previously, Midwest Bank is holding a Community Shred Day! And it's TOMORROW - Saturday, May 24th from 9am-12noon!

Midwest Bank
50 N. Main St.
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056

Just show up with all your papers (limit 100 lbs) and they'll be shredded for FREE!

For further information about shredding opportunities elsewhere in the Chicago Area and all over the country, visit FileStoreShred.com.

The Fixer, Chicago Sun-Times consumer advocate columnist, recently wrote about what should and should not be shred:

Here's what Steve J. Bernas, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois had to say:

• The IRS has three years from your tax-filing date to audit -- and six years to challenge a claim. A good rule of thumb is to keep all tax returns and supporting documentation for seven years.

• Keep credit card statements for seven years if tax-related expenses are documented.

• Keep paycheck stubs for one year. Be sure to cross reference the paycheck stub to the W-2 form.

• Be sure to keep bank statements and canceled checks for at least one year.

• Bills should kept for one year or until the canceled check has been returned. Receipts for big-ticket items should be kept for insurance purposes.

• Home improvement receipts should be kept for six years or permanently.

• Items such as birth certificates, Social Security cards, insurance policies, titles or wills should be kept permanently in a safety deposit box.

• If you are going to dispose of documents with sensitive information, be sure to SHRED, SHRED, SHRED!!!

Community Shred Day!

Start gathering those personally identifying recyclable papers now! You know what you're looking for:

• credit card solicitations
• old bills
• anything with your social security number
• Tax Returns filed more than 7 years ago (NOTE: Do not shred tax returns less filed than 7 years ago or the supporting documentation because if you get audited, you will need it all)
• old bank statements including ATM receipts
• documents with other people's personal information

I also shred my grocery bills and other store receipts because all too often they have my name on them, either from the check I've written, my credit card, or from the store's preferred customer program.

Midwest Bank in Mt. Prospect, formerly known as Mt. Prospect National Bank, is holding a Community Shred Day!

Community Shred Day
Saturday, May 24th
9am - 12noon
Midwest Bank
50 N. Main Street
Mt. Prospect

There is no charge for this service and you can bring up to 100 pounds of paper. You simply drive up and unload right into the shredder.

The City of Chicago is also holding a Community Shred Day on Saturday, June 14th at the United Center. Again, it's free and you can find out all the relevant information at Chicago Shreds.

I checked to see if Arlington Heights was doing one (the senior center did last year), but they are not. What a shame. Given the rampant rise in identity theft, I would think every community would have a vested interest in helping its residents to protect themselves. It's truly a valuable community service.