AARP and Better Business Bureau host document shredding event

(ABC 6 News) – Scams and identity theft are something that’s becoming more and more common. Wednesday, AARP and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) took a step to put a stop to them.

People could shred any personal or sensitive documents at ABC (Ability Building Community) in Rochester. While older people can be a main target for scammers, everyone was welcome.

“Sometimes people can be over-sensitive about shredding anything with their address on it. In a lot of cases, that’s not necessary. But anything with personal information that identifies them like their date of birth, their social security number, and account members, that’s what could be risky if it got into the hands of the criminals,” said Jay Haapala, the associate state director – community engagement for AARP Minnesota.

If there’s one thing you should not shred, it’s tax-related documents. You should keep those for five to seven years.

“We’re really going off a government policy or a government recommendation. In case you were to get audited, it’s really important that you have that history,” said Julie Kiedrowski, vice president of the business and consumer services at the Better Business Bureau.

This was the only day to shred documents at ABC. In the future, find a shredder if you can and avoid ripping up papers. You never know who might be digging in the trash.

For more information on AARP’s Fraud Watch Network, you can click here.

To track scams and report them to the Better Business Bureau, you can click here.