May. 16, 2024
HARRISBURG – Rep. Eric Nelson (R-Hempfield) today announced he is hosting a free event to provide constituents an opportunity to safely dispose of sensitive documents. It is scheduled for Thursday, May 23, from 4-6 p.m., at the Hempfield Township Park and Athletic Complex,
220 Forbes Trail Road, Greensburg.
“Unfortunately, there are criminal elements that aim to steal sensitive information and use it to create false accounts, and often the victim doesn’t know until they are receiving calls from creditors,” Nelson said. “Safely discarding documents that contain this kind of information is a first a line of defense to avoid having your information stolen.”
Examples of such information include any printed materials that include bank and credit card numbers, tax documents, insurance claim forms and anything that lists a Social Security number. Documents received at the event will be shredded on-site and taken to a local paper recycling plant.
The event is exclusively for personal documents only. Commercial business files cannot be accepted. There is a limit of four bags or boxes per household. Manila folders are acceptable. Staples and paper clips do not need to be removed. The event may be canceled because of inclement weather. Questions can be answered by calling Nelson’s district office at 724-834-6400.
“It can take countless hours for a victim to reverse the harm of having their identities used fraudulently,” said Nelson. “But criminals can’t use what they can’t get their hands on, which is why disposing of this kind of information is so important.”