Better Business Bureau (BBB), in partnership with Brazos Records Storage, invites the community to BBB “Shred” Day Monday, November 7, 2011 from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the BBB offices, 418 Tarrow, College Station. Residents and small businesses are encouraged to take a key step in identity protection by shredding and properly disposing of their sensitive paper documents. BBB staff will also be on-site to assist.

“Properly destroying documents that carry information you don’t want getting into the hands of crooks is an important first step to fighting identity theft, but it doesn’t end there,” said Bill McGuire, BBB President.

A recent report notes that the majority (56 percent) of ID theft occurs when the thief has direct contact with the victim’s personal information, through a stolen or lost wallet, rifling through a personal mailbox or trashcan, or even lifting documents from inside a home or business.

Bring up to 50 lbs. of PAPER documents to be shredded and take home the tips and resources you need to help protect yourself. Documents to be shredded should be removed from binders, but staples and paper clips are okay to be shredded.

“Identity theft is largely a crime of access,” McGuire added. “Our goal here is to make the information less accessible and empower people to be their own first line of defense against identity theft. With community-based BBBs across North America collaborating, we’ll have a tremendous coast-to-coast presence that will reach a lot of people and, hopefully, prevent a lot of theft.”