News Release - Ft. Lauderdale Shred-A-Thon Combats Identity Theft, Promotes Consumer Protection

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Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release

May 14, 2008

Media Contact: Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150

Ft. Lauderdale Shred-A-Thon Combats Identity Theft, Promotes Consumer Protection

~ Broward County residents receive free document shredding, information on preventing identity theft ~

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL – Broward County residents today were provided with a proactive opportunity to combat identity theft and protect themselves from becoming identity theft victims at a community Shred-a-Thon hosted by the Attorney General’s Office, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, and Ocean Bank. Members of the Broward County community were encouraged to participate in the Shred-a-Thon, which provided free document shredding services for credit card offers, receipts, check stubs, old bills and other outdated personal documents.

“Informed and proactive consumers can better protect themselves from becoming victims,” said Attorney General Bill McCollum. “With the help of our local law enforcement and business community, consumers are taking a stand against this potentially devastating crime.”

“Identity theft is a growing problem in South Florida,” said Sheriff Al Lamberti. “We need to bring awareness to the problem and this Shred-A-Thon gives us a great opportunity to do that and educate the public about the risks.”

In addition to the mobile shredding unit on site at the downtown Ocean Bank office, participants received information about preventing identity theft and how to recover from the crime if victimized. Representatives from the Sheriff’s office and the Attorney General’s Seniors vs. Crime program were also available to provide information.

“It is important for people to be aware of what steps they can take to protect themselves against identify theft, one of which is shredding all documents that contain personal information,” said Ocean Bank President and CEO A. Alfonso Macedo. “Ocean Bank is proud to be part of this event, and we hope to continue to increase awareness among consumers, with the hope of greatly reducing identify theft in Florida.”

Attorney General McCollum noted that today’s tech-savvy criminals are frequently using the internet and other computer resources to invade people’s privacy and steal their names, financial information, medical information and other personal information. According to the FTC, Florida ranks fifth in the nation in number of identity theft victims with 19,270 reported victims in 2007. Data breaches are also posing identity theft problems, as businesses throughout the country are facing security breaches that can compromise customers’ personal information. Florida law requires businesses that experience data breaches to notify all affected consumers of these breaches.

The Attorney General’s Office has hosted four community Shred-a-Thons throughout the state in the past year, including today’s Shred-a-Thon in conjunction with Sheriff Lamberti. Additional information about preventing, reporting and recovering from identity theft is available on the Attorney General's website at http://www.myfloridalegal.com/identitytheft.