Better Business Bureau Helps Prevent Medical ID Theft

To protect Oregonians, Better Business Bureau presents BBB Secure Your ID Day—which will offer free document shredding and cell phone recycling.

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(LAKE OSWEGO) - According to the Medical Identity Fraud Alliance, medical identity theft increased nearly 20 percent in 2013 and affected approximately 1.84 million victims in the United States—who paid more than $12 billion in out-of-pocket costs. Statistics still indicate that a majority of identity theft occurs by physical means—like dumpster diving and mail theft—and properly destroying sensitive personal documents is extremely important.

To protect Oregonians, Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington and DirectBuy of Portland present BBB Secure Your ID Day—which will offer free document shredding and cell phone recycling—on April 26, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bridgeport Village—located off I-5 at exit 290, just 15 minutes south of downtown Portland, in the Orvis parking lot.

Drop off up to three bags or boxes per person to be securely destroyed on-site by Shred-It. Unwanted cell phones will be accepted as part of Verizon’s HopeLine, which wipes data and allocates devices to victims of domestic abuse.

For more information on what to shred, read Securing Identities: A Step-by-Step Guide to Document Shredding.

This event is made possible by Better Business Bureau, DirectBuy of Portland and Shred-It.

Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington is one of 113 in North America and the largest BBB by geographical service area. BBB is a neutral not-for-profit public reporting agency committed to trust in the marketplace. For more information on ethical business standards and BBB Accreditation, or to access free BBB Business Reviews, Charity Reviews, scam alerts or find local event information,contact BBB or visit bbb.org.