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| Contact: Deborah Sturm Rausch (518) 473-9472 | For Immediate Release: February 5, 2008 |
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NYS Consumer Protection Board and the Office of Cyber Security Hold Free Public Shredding Day to Help Consumers Prevent Identity TheftFirst Shredding Day Brings Hundreds to Albany’s Empire State Plaza |
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Albany, NY…. The New York State Consumer Protection Board (CPB) and NYS Office
of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination (CSCIC) today held
the first Shredding Day, a free event, open to the public, to afford consumers a
method of safe and proper method of disposing their documents containing private
information that, if disposed improperly, could be a conduit to identity theft.
Consumers could bring items including paper, CDs, DVDs, credit cards and floppy
disks with a limit of two cartons per person to be shredded.
People from throughout the Capital District lined up to purge paperwork containing everything from bank statements to credit card solicitations, receipts and healthcare-related information at the first ever Shredding Day at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. “Document shredding has become an essential weapon in the fight against identity theft,” said Mindy A. Bockstein, Chairperson and Executive Director of the CPB, the event’s prime sponsor, “and we are pleased to offer this service. According to the Federal Trade Commission, approximately 10 million Americans become victims of identity theft each year, and that number continues to grow. While we’re not trying to scare people, the CPB is trying to raise awareness about the need to shred our important materials. We must be our own best advocates, and take the necessary steps to protect ourselves. With Shredding Day, the CPB is affording people who may not have a shredder at home with the means to do just that.” Dumpster diving, which is the process of looking through trash for private information that can be harvested and used to steal someone’s identity, is a reality about which consumers must be aware. Scammers go through trash to obtain copies of checks, credit card or bank statements, medical records or other documents and then use the identifying information they find to steal people’s identity. “It’s my pleasure to join with Chairperson and Executive Director Bockstein in this important effort to raise consumer awareness about protecting personal information,” said William Pelgrin, Director of the New York State Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination. “Document shredding is an important component in a proactive approach to safeguarding personal documents and reducing the chances of becoming an identity theft victim.” “As the frequency of identity theft increases, it is important for all citizens to protect themselves from this heinous personal invasion,” said Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings who was on hand for Shredding Day. “Having the opportunity to shred and destroy documents that might compromise individual security is extremely important. I applaud New York State for this bold initiative to address the problem.” More than 16,000 complaints were filed with the FTC by New Yorkers in 2006. New York State is 8th per capita in identity theft complaints. About.com estimates that “upwards of 80 percent or more households do not take the necessary steps to prevent dumpster diving.” The US Supreme Court in its 1998 case, California vs. Greenwood, stated, "Society would not accept as reasonable [a] claim to an expectation of privacy in trash left for collection in an area accessible to the public." That basically means, in most places, if you throw something in the trash, it becomes available to the public. Certain documents need to be maintained for a period of time. This can range from months to years. Once record have served their usefulness, they should be destroyed. Shredding is an environmentally sound method of eliminating paper waste. Paper that is sent to the trash without being recycled or shredded generally ends up in landfills that are lined with plastic to prevent chemicals from penetrating water tables. If paper is separated from other waste materials and properly shred, it can be recycled. 3N Document Destruction, Inc. is assisting as a sponsor in Albany’s Shredding Day. The company claims to be the Capital District’s only AAA certified shredding service and says it recycles more than 99% of all the confidential material it shreds. >“In addition,” said Dave Neville of 3N Document Destruction, “3N goes the extra step to insure our clients’ confidentiality and security by only shipping our shredded material to paper mills within New York State, specifically Saratoga County. Other shredding services both local and out-of-the-area either do not restrict where their material goes and use brokers or deal with out of state and/or country mills.” Resources on identify theft and document retention as well as other valuable resources were distributed at the event site by both sponsoring Agencies. All the information is available on the Agency’s websites at, for CSCIC, www.cscic.state.ny.us and for the CPB www.nysconsumer.govv. The NYS Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination (CSCIC) was established in September 2002 to address New York State's cyber security readiness and critical infrastructure coordination. CSCIC is responsible for leading and coordinating New York State's efforts regarding cyber readiness, geographic information systems (GIS) and critical infrastructure preparedness. CSCIC works collaboratively with the public and private sectors to foster communication and coordination. The CPB, established in 1970 by the New York State Legislature, is the State's top consumer watchdog and think tank. The CPB's core mission is to protect New Yorkers by publicizing unscrupulous and questionable business practices and product recalls; conducting investigations and hearings; enforcing the “Do Not Call Law”; researching issues; developing legislation; creating consumer education programs and materials; responding to individual marketplace complaints by securing voluntary agreements; and, representing the interests of consumers before the Public Service Commission and other State and federal agencies. To file a consumer complaint with the NYS Consumer Protection Board (CPB), call our toll-free hotline at 800-697-1220 or visit CPB’s website at www.nysconsumer.gov. In addition to the online complaint form, the website is home to important consumer safety information. To join the CPB’s Do Not Call Reminder list, send an e-mail to CPB's Do Not Call Reminder list |