Plan Is To Shred IdentityTheft

LONGVIEW, Texas - (10/18/04) -- Members of East Texas ProfessionalCU fed hundreds of pounds of old account statements, checkbooks andcredit card statements through the paper shredder here Fridayduring the credit union's first 'Shred Day.' The idea was to teachmembers how to guard against identity theft by preventingconfidential financial information from getting into the wronghands. Tips to prevent identity theft were offered, includingshredding documents like pre-approved credit card applications,receipts and other financial records from which personal data canbe gleaned by crooks sifting through the trash. Some membersbrought large trash bags full of old documents, while othersbrought records dating back 10 or 15 years to be fed into theshredder.