Information Technology Services and Lethbridge Mobile Shredding offer A Nightmare on Shred Street

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Identity theft is a nightmare that nobody wishes to endure, and yet it is one of the fastest growing crimes in Canada. Information Technology Services at the University of Lethbridge is hoping to slow it down by partnering with Lethbridge Mobile Shredding to offer a free shredding event on Halloween Day.

A Nightmare on Shred Street takes place Monday, Oct. 31, 2016 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Bus Loading Zone (west side) of the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness. Personal documents, hard drive degaussing and e-waste recycling will be on site, allowing you to protect yourself from identity thieves through the proper disposal of personal items.

This is a free event and is open to the community, with donations to the campus food bank encouraged. University of Lethbridge Students’ Union staff will be on hand to collect donations of cash and non-perishable food items.

“In 2015, Lethbridge ranked in the top 40 for identity fraud amongst the 100 biggest Canadian cities,” says Ashley Haughton, manager of Records Management at the U of L. “The risk is everywhere and this is one way where we can assist the public in safely disposing their personal items to minimize their exposure.”

Among the items people may look to get rid of are: bank statements, credit card bills, utility bills, pay stubs, tax documents, medical records, store receipts and electronic files such as photos, passwords, contact lists and so on.

“The majority of these shredding events are done in the spring, so we thought we would use Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Halloween to have some fun with it and give people another opportunity to safely dispose of their personal documents,” adds Haughton. “We also strongly encourage people to bring an item for the campus food bank if they are able.”

There is a limit of six boxes of paper items per person, while any data storage devices will be accepted. Hard drives will be degaussed on site and other non-paper materials will be taken by Lethbridge Mobile Shredding for secure destruction. General e-waste will also be collected for recycling.

For more details on what will be accepted and how it should be sorted, view this notice online: https://www.uleth.ca/notice/events/nightmare-shred-street
 
-- 30 --

Contact:

Trevor Kenney, News & Information Manager
403-329-2710
403-360-7639 (cell)
trevor.kenney@uleth.ca
 
Ashley Haughton, Manager, Records Management
403-329-2725
ashley.haughton@uleth.ca