Free Shredding Events in Augusta, Bangor and Portland in April:
Working to Safely Dispose of Sensitive Documents and Unwanted Medications
As part of our ongoing work to raise awareness about consumer fraud and identity theft, AARP Maine is collaborating with many community partners, agencies and organizations. We are also privileged to work with local law enforcement, including County Sheriff’s Offices.
With scams and fraud on the rise across the country and right here in Maine, partnerships like these have never been more important. One issue of paramount concern is identity theft.
Identity theft occurs when someone steals personal information that could be used to falsely apply for credit or for government benefits. One way that scammers steal sensitive documents is by rifling through trash or unlocked mailboxes. While this may seem implausible, remember that many of us do not use locked mailboxes and we announce our outgoing mail with a raised mailbox flag. This is also a flag for a scammer. Never place mail that includes your Social Security number, address and birth date into your unprotected mailbox. Those three items are the key ingredients that identity thieves need to perpetrate their crimes. Take your mail to the post office or drop it into an actual mailbox instead.
With April being the end of tax filing season, you probably have paperwork on hand which would be of interest to an identity thief. One way to protect yourself is to make sure you safely dispose of all sensitive and personal documents. At the end of April, you can do just that at our free shredding events in Augusta, Bangor and Portland!
In addition to shredding sensitive papers and documents, all three events offer the opportunity to safely dispose of your unused or expired medicines. If you take over-the-counter or prescription drugs, you may be one of the millions of consumers whose medicine cabinet could use a Spring cleaning. The Sheriff’s Offices will be glad to discreetly dispose of your medications for you at no cost.
Shredding event times and locations:
Augusta:
Saturday, April 27, 2019
10am-2pm
In collaboration with the
Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office
125 State Street, Augusta, ME
RSVP here:
https://aarp.cvent.com/AugustaShred2019
Bangor:
Friday, April 26, 2019
7AM-2PM
In collaboration with the
Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office
Airport Mall on Union Street, Bangor, ME
RSVP here:
https://aarp.cvent.com/BangorShred2019
Portland*:
Saturday, April 27, 2019
10AM-2PM
In collaboration with the
Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office
36 County Way, Portland, ME
*The Portland event will also offer computer hard drive shredding. Limit of 3 hard drives per person. If you wish, once the hard drive has been destroyed, the rest of your computer can be recycled. No other electronics will be accepted.
RSVP here:
https://aarp.cvent.com/PortlandShred2019
Finally, another way to thwart identity thieves is to contact each of the three credit bureaus and request that they place a “freeze” on your credit report. This is the most effective way to protect yourself from this crime. Freezing and unfreezing your credit report is free for Mainers of all ages thanks to a law passed in 2015. To learn more, go to www.aarp.org/me or contact the Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection at 1-800-332-8529.
While many consumers are becoming savvier about certain scams, there are steps each of us should take to protect ourselves. We hope you will be proactive by placing a freeze on your credit report and joining us at one of the upcoming free shredding and medicine disposal events. Please bring your friends and family!
If you have any questions, or if you would like to schedule a scam awareness presentation in your community, please contact me.
Jane Margesson, AARP Maine Communications Director
Address: 53 Baxter Blvd, Portland.
Phone: 1-866-554-5380
Email: jmargesson@aarp.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/aarpmaine
Twitter: www.twitter.com/aarpmaine
Website: www.aarp.org/me
