Personal information can be valuable to thieves; getting rid of that information is also proving its value in more ways than one. That was done during an event sponsored by Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Sheboygan. This past Saturday the organization that provides financial counseling to those working out of debt or dreaming of home ownership shredded over two tons of confidential documents at their North 8th Street headquarters, destroying banking records, tax returns, social security numbers and other personal data with every page.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, such data is the sort that was stolen over 1.1 million times by identity thieves in the US last year alone. Of that number, 8,319 cases were exclusive to the State of Wisconsin. All told, Javelin Strategy & Research estimates that this affected 40 million U.S. adults to the tune of $43 billion in Identity Fraud Losses in 2022.
While Saturday’s shredding event may have made only a small dent in the potential losses, the $900 it raised will be put to use by Consumer Credit Counseling Service to provide financial education to individuals throughout Sheboygan and Sheboygan County.
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