Press release from the Better Business Bureau:
When it comes to documents that contain personal information, the general rule is this: if you don’t need it, get rid of it. Over half of identity theft victims can trace the theft to something that was taken from their own possession. With tax season is behind us, now is a good time to understand how to prevent any of the documents you gathered from falling into the wrong hands. To help you eliminate that risk, the Better Business Bureau is partnering with OnTrack Financial and Carolina Shred to provide free document shredding. This free event will take place on Saturday, April 28th from 10am to 12pm at the Better Business Bureau office in Asheville (112 Executive Park).
So what should you keep and what should you throw away? The BBB recommends that you adhere to the following retention schedule for these common documents:
- Credit card statements – ONE YEAR
- Bank statements – THREE YEARS
- Expired contracts, mortgages or leases – SEVEN YEARS
- Canceled checks, stocks or bonds – SEVEN YEARS
- Withholding tax statements – SEVEN YEARS
- Property records and appraisals – PERMANENTLY
- Tax returns and worksheets – PERMANENTLY
- Insurances records, claims, accident reports, etc. – PERMANENTLY
- Legal correspondence – PERMANENTLY
For more information about how to secure your ID or for details regarding the free Shredding Event, visit www.bbb.org or call (828) 253-2392.
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