Event Spotlight: Shred Safely to Prevent Identity Theft

Customers and non-customers alike can head to Valley National Bank in East Setauket on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to shred sensitive personal papers for free and learn more about preventing identity theft.

Marc Piro, first vice president of marketing and public relations for Valley National Bank, called identity theft "one of the fastest growing crimes in the country." It is often perpetrated, he said, when people discard personal papers in an unsafe way.  

"You can’t just throw them in the garbage. Dumpster diving is a big problem," Piro said. "Shred it for free and talk to some of our bank representatives about some tips on how to prevent becoming a victim of identity theft."

Piro said the company coming to do the shredding, USA Shred, destroys documents on site then recycles the material.

When it comes to what to shred, he pointed to anything that contains account numbers, credit card numbers, and other sensitive information.

"Anything that criminals can use you want to destroy in the best way possible, which is shredding," he said.

The event is set for May 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the bank's East Setauket branch at 234 Route 25A.