Document shredding

Lehigh Valley residents can safely dispose of personal financial documents and other sensitive records at an Operation: Stop Scams shredding event offered by AARP Pennsylvania May 5 at Northampton Community College, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem.

The free event will be held 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

“With tax-filing season now over, we’re reminding our members and others that it’s a great time to clear out and discard their obsolete financial documents,” said Mary Bach, chair of the AARP Pennsylvania Consumer Issues Task Force. “Our shredding event provides a convenient and safe way for people to destroy this sensitive paperwork.”

The Lehigh Valley event is one of more than 150 free document-shredding events and fraud-fighting programs being held coast-to-coast as part of AARP’s second annual Operation: Stop Scams. More than 1 million pounds of sensitive documents were destroyed during Operation: Stop Scams in 2017.

Pennsylvania residents reported 12,468 cases of identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission during 2017, yet a new AARP survey finds that almost half of consumers ignore experts’ recommendations to regularly shred their sensitive financial records.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network launched in 2013 as a free resource for people of all ages. The FWN website provides information about fraud and scams, prevention tips from experts, interactive scam-tracking, fun educational quizzes and video presentations featuring Fraud Watch Network Ambassador Frank Abagnale. Users may sign up for Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling.

AARP has 1.8 million members in Pennsylvania. It is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age.