But the Central Credit Union of Illinois is helping consumers protect themselves.
It has banded together with several credit unions across the state to declare the month of June "Shred Month."
Throughout the entire month of June, credit unions across the state are inviting consumers to bring in up to three boxes of their sensitive personal financial documents for free and secure on-the-spot disposal, which will take place in the credit union's parking lot with professional shredding vehicles.
Listed below are the cities, dates, times and credit union locations where Shred Days activities are taking place.
- Arlington Heights, June 14, 9 a.m. 1 p.m., Meadows CU, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Ste. 100. For more information, contact: (847) 342-9300.
- Bellwood: June 14, 10 to 11 a.m., Central CU of Illinois, 1001 Mannheim Rd. An Identity Theft seminar will be held in conjunction at 10:30 a.m. For more information, contact: (708) 649-6400.
- Bolingbrook: June 7, 10 a.m. to noon, Hawthorne CU, 267 S. Weber Rd. There will also be a drawing for a fire-proof home safe, and a ³Give Yourself Credit² seminar will be held. For more information, contact: (630) 369-4070.
- Crest Hill: June 28, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., NuMark CU, 2380 Caton Farm Rd. An identity theft talk will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. For more information, contact: (815) 729-3211.
- Countryside: June 27, 3 to 5 p.m., NuMark CU, 9809 W. 55th St. For more information, contact: (815) 729-3211.
- East Vienna: June 14, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., Vienna Correction Center CU. A drawing for a free shredder will also be held. For more information, contact: (618) 658-8312.
- Elgin: June 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Elgin City ECU, 1151 Lillian. For more information, contact: (847) 931-6740. June 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Corporate America Family CU, 2075 Big Timber Rd. For more information, contact: (847) 697-1297.
- Evergreen Park: June 26, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ³Community Shred Day,² hosted by South Division CU, will be held in conjunction with the Farmer¹s Market at Yukich Field, 89th and Kedzie. For more information, contact: (708) 857-7070.
- Geneva: June 21, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. KCT CU, 28 N. 5th St. Also occurring is the one-year anniversary of the credit union¹s branch office; free hot dogs and brats will be served. The credit union will also be holding a free identity theft seminar on June 9 from 6 7 p.m. at Elgin Community College¹s University Business Center. For more information, contact: (847) 741-3344.
- Joliet: June 14, 10 a.m. to noon, Prairie Trail CU, 2350 W. McDonough St. For more information, contact: (815) 725-5901. June 28, 8:30 to 10 a.m., NuMark CU, 272 Caterpillar Dr. For more information, contact: (815) 729-3211.
- Lake Villa: June 21, 9 a.m. to noon, Community Trust CU, 1380 Deep Lake Rd. A drawing for four personal shredders, and two, one-year subscriptions to AlertMe, a credit monitoring service offered by the credit union will also be held. There is a limit of three boxes of personal documents. For more information, contact: (847) 662-2050.
- Lockport: June 28, 9 a.m. to noon, Canals & Trails CU, 201 E. 9th St. For more information, contact: (815) 838-7159.
- Moline: June 21, 5 a.m. to 1 p.m., DHCU Community CU, Corporate Office, 1900 52nd Ave. This event is in conjunction with 10 other area credit unions, including Deere ECU, Gas and Electric CU, I.H. Mississippi Valley CU, KONE ECU, Mercer CU, Moline Municipal CU, Quad Cities Postal CU, RIA FCU, School District #40 ECU and Service Plus CU. For more information, contact: (309) 765-7500.
- Naperville: June 14, 10 a.m. to noon, Hawthorne CU, 15129 N. Naper Blvd.; there will also be a drawing for a fire-proof home safe, and a ³Give Yourself Credit² seminar will be held. For more information, contact: (630) 369-4070.
- Normal: June 21, 9 a.m. to noon, Prairieland FCU (and ISU CU, (309) 451-8400), 416 Kays Dr. For more information, contact: (309) 862-1838.
- Orland Park: June 21, 10 to 11 a.m., Central CU of Illinois, 9850 W. 159th St.; an Identity Theft seminar will be held in conjunction at 10:30 a.m. For more information, contact: (708) 649-6400.
- Oswego: entire month of June during normal business hours, Allsteel CU, 1 W. Merchants Dr. Documents will be collected all month long and the shredding company will pick them up in July. For more information, contact: (630) 906-2050.
- Peru: June 14, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Financial Plus CU, 2813 Plaza Drive. ³Cowboy² from WALLS 102 FM will have a live remote broadcast from 9 to 11. A raffle for a shredder donated by a local business will also be held. Shredding is free, but donations will be accepted for a local charity. For more information, contact: (815) 433-1496.
- Rockford: June 14, 9 a.m. to noon, Generations CU, 5618 Harrison Ave. For more information, contact: (815) 316-2900. June 28, 9 a.m. to noon, First Northern CU, 104 N. Showplace Dr. Limit of 100 pounds of documents per person. For more information, contact: (312) 429-6454.
- South Holland: June 9, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sherwin Williams CU, 16230 Prince Dr.; individuals may bring up to two shoe boxes of personal documents. These will be stored in the vault and picked up for shredding on June 10. For more information, contact: (708) 333-0900.
- Urbana: June 28, 9 to noon, University of Illinois ECU, Five Points Branch, 206 E. University Ave. For more information, contact: (217) 278-7700.
- Warrenville: June 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Corporate America Family CU, 29W710 Batavia Rd. For more information, contact: (847) 697-1297.
Examples of the type documents strongly recommended for the free disposal include:
- Credit Card receipts and statements older than one month (or older if there's a billing dispute). Keep tax-related statements for seven years.
- Pay Stubs - only after checking to confirm the information matches your annual W-2. Save the last stub of the year.
- Credit union records older than one year - retaining those related to taxes, business expenses, housing or mortgage payments.
- Tax records more than three years old - The IRS has three years to audit a return, and consumers have three years to file an amended return to claim a refund. Keep all 1040 tax forms permanently.
- Old checking and savings account statements.
- Cancelled checks.
- ATM receipts
- Unwanted credit card offers.
