On Saturday, April 29, M&T Bank in Jaffrey is collaborating with AARP New Hampshire for a free Shred-a-Thon to help people reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft.
From 9 a.m. to noon, community members are encouraged to bring up to three boxes or bags worth of personal documents to be shredded immediately inside the mobile shred truck that will be parked at M&T Bank at 62 Peterborough St. in Jaffrey. Personal documents should not have large binder clips or plastic attached to them. Additionally, magazines and newspapers will not be accepted.
According to data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Americans reported losing approximately $8.8 billion to various forms of scams and fraud just last year, a more than 30 percent increase compared to 2021. Because of the increase in scams, AARP spokeswoman Pam Dube said the purpose of the event is to protect people’s personal information and reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft.
“I think everyone has personal information lying around their house. If you throw it out, there’s no telling of what people would do with it,” said Dube. “[The shred-a-thon] is an easy and free way to rid of personal information safely.”