Freshman students in UNC Asheville's "Financial
Literacy" course, taught by Management & Accountancy lecturer Betsy
Mayes, have been taking a close look at identity theft this fall.
The students learned about the devastating effects of this crime and
the importance of properly disposing of financial documents.
Motivated by these facts, the students are spearheading a free
shredding event to help curb the problem locally.
The free shredding service will be available to community members
from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday,
Oct. 13, in front of UNC Asheville's Owen Hall. Each person may
bring up to three medium boxes or two large garbage bags. Students
will be on hand to help community members lift their full boxes or
garbage bags into the commercial shredding truck provided by
Carolina Shredding Services. The event is free and open to the
public – no businesses or non-profit organizations, please.
To clarify any confusion about what to keep and what to shred,
certified public accounts will be available that day to answer
questions and offer free advice. All are members of the Western
North Carolina Chapter of the North Carolina Association of CPAs.
In the wrong hands, personal information can be used to devastating
consequences. With a surprisingly small amount of data, criminals
can steal identities and open bank accounts, purchase items and
wreak havoc on a person's life.
"The number one way to prevent identity theft is to shred personal
records, but determining which documents to shred and which to keep
can be confusing," said Mayes.
"A good rule of thumb is to consider shredding any documents that
list names, bank account numbers or social security numbers," said
Mayes. "Suggestions include such papers as pre-approved credit card
offers, ATM receipts, old bank statements and outdated credit
reports."
The free personal document shredding service is sponsored by UNC
Asheville's Management & Accountancy Department and the Western
North Carolina Chapter of the North Carolina Association of CPAs.
For more information, call Betsy Mayes, UNC Asheville Management &
Accountancy lecturer, at 828/251-6846.
