“Secure Your ID” Day Helps Triangle Community Members Prevent Identity Theft

To assist consumers and business owners in preventing all types of identity theft and fraud, Coastal Federal Credit Union, a nonprofit financial cooperative committed to providing its members the services they need affordably, conveniently and professionally. The event will be held at the Coastal headquarters off Wake Forest Road in Raleigh on Saturday, Oct. 15 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Community members can take advantage of complimentary document shredding, collection of computers and hard-drives for secure destruction, electric/electronics recycling and identity protection tips.

In the United States, identity fraud occurs every two seconds, and 56 percent of those victims trace the incident back to private information stolen from their own possession. It is a harrowing statistic that inspired BBB’s semi-annual “Secure Your ID” events.

“Safely disposing of sensitive documents and electronics are key ways to protect an individual’s identity and prevent new account fraud,” says Mallory Wojciechowski, president and CEO of BBB serving Eastern North Carolina. “Our free shred events offer the perfect opportunity to protect individuals from being a victim of identity fraud by safely getting rid of documents and electronics that contain personal information.”

During the event, local partners Shred-It and GEEP will be on site. Individuals are encouraged to bring up to three boxes/bags of documents that have been removed from binders, and up to five electric/electronic devices. Accepted items are computers, cell phones, tablets, TVs, printers, fax machines, vacuums, DVD/CD players, microwaves and toasters. At the event, community members will be directed through the parking lot to stations where they will watch their paperwork and devices be safely destroyed and recycled, never having to leave their car while helping protect their own identities.

To date, the semi-annual “Secure Your ID” Day events have safely destroyed nearly 400,000 lbs. of sensitive documents and nearly 100,000 lbs. of electronics.

“We’re thrilled to be apart of this amazing event for another year,” said Coastal spokesman, Joe Mecca. “It is the perfect opportunity to educate our members and the Triangle community as a whole about the risk of identity fraud.”

The Oct. 15 event will be held at Coastal Federal Credit Union’s location at 1000 St. Albans Drive, near North Hills shopping center.Additional event information is available at www.bbbshred.org.

About BBB serving Eastern North Carolina:
Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation serving 33 counties in eastern North Carolina. The organization is funded primarily by BBB Accredited Business fees from over 3,500 local businesses and professional firms. BBB promotes integrity, consumer confidence and business ethics through business self-regulation in the local marketplace. Services provided by BBB include reports on companies and charitable organizations, general monitoring of advertising in the marketplace, consumer/business education programs and dispute resolution services. All services are provided at no cost to the public, with the occasional exception of mediation and arbitration. Visit bbb.org.

About Coastal Federal Credit Union

Coastal Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned, financial cooperative, offering a full range of financial products and services. Coastal was chartered on August 31, 1967 with the mission of fostering the credit union philosophy of “people helping people.” Today, with $2.6 billion in assets, Coastal serves 216,000 members from 1,400 business partners and is among the leading financial institutions in North Carolina. Coastal operates 18 branches in the Triangle market and serves members in all 50 states through a network of 5,000 shared branches, mobile banking featuring mobile check deposit, and a robust offering of online services at www.COASTAL24.com.