Consumer Affairs, Davidson Sheriff sponsor free document shredding/prescription drop-off at LP Field on Oct. 13

NASHVILLE, TN – The Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) Consumer Affairs Division and the Davidson County Sheriff’s office have joined forces to promote identity theft awareness. The two agencies host a free shredding event from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at Lot D at LP Field, One Titans Way, Nashville, TN 37213.   

“This event enables consumers to safely shred and dispose of their outdated, private records,” TDCI Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak said. “The participation of the Davidson County Sheriff’s office speaks to the impact of identity theft.”

Consumer Affairs will have personnel available to hand out information on identity theft prevention and to answer consumers’ questions. In addition, members of the Davidson County Sheriff’s office will be on hand to collect unwanted, unused prescription drugs. The collection allows consumers to safely dispose of unused prescriptions while helping to ensure the water supply is protected and reducing the risk of prescription drug overdose and abuse.

“Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in Tennessee,” said Consumer Affairs Director Gary Cordell. “Identity thieves have been known to rifle through trash cans and large garbage bins in search of private documents, bills or other papers containing consumers’ personal information. Our goal is to encourage consumers to shred old documents that contain personal information before discarding them, in an effort to deter identity thieves.”

“The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office is proud to be a partner in this community event and hopes Nashville residents will take advantage of the opportunity to properly dispose of outdated or unnecessary medications as well as shred important documents to avoid identity theft,” Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall said.  “Take action and do what you can to prevent yourself from being a victim of crime.”
 
There will be a two-box maximum per vehicle, five-box maximum for businesses. Newspaper and cardboard will not be accepted.

The Federal Trade Commission estimates that more than nine million identity thefts occur in the United States every year. While identity theft victims may not find out about thefts until they receive a credit card statement, it can take years and hundreds of dollars to restore a person’s good name and credit. In the meantime, negative information on a credit report can affect job opportunities and access to credit. The average victim spends more than 33 hours trying to resolve the problem and clearing up records.

For more information regarding identity theft, visit www.tn.gov/consumer.

Consumer Affairs (www.tn.gov/consumer) is a division of the Department of Commerce and Insurance, which works to protect consumers while ensuring fair competition for industries and professionals who do business in Tennessee. www.tn.gov/commerce/, @TNCommerceInsur (Twitter), http://on.fb.me/uFQwUZ (Facebook), http://bit.ly/ry1GyX (YouTube)