Office of the Attorney General to Hold Third Shred–A–Thon
Popular Event Moves to Montgomery County

BALTIMORE, MD (April 9, 2009) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that his office will hold its third Shred-A-Thon on Sunday, April 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Boulevard East in Silver Spring. Montgomery and Prince George’s County residents are encouraged to bring no longer needed sensitive documents for FREE shredding. Each family is limited to two, standard sized paper grocery bags. Arrive early! Shredding will be done on a first-come, first-served basis.

Attorney General Gansler has once again partnered with AARP and local shredding company, Torn2Shredz, to provide free shredding to Montgomery and Prince George’s County residents as a great opportunity to help keep sensitive information out of the hands of crooks. Identity theft occurs when someone uses personal information without permission to commit fraud or other crimes. “Dumpster diving,” or rifling through trash cans for personal information is a common tactic used by identity thieves. Safely and securely shredding sensitive documents helps prevent identity thieves from obtaining personal information.

Destroy all sensitive information including junk mail and paperwork that includes:

• Account numbers
• Birth dates
• Passwords and PIN
• Signatures
• Social Security numbers

What should be shredded? While many documents should be kept in a safe place until they are no longer needed, once you decide it can be thrown out, shred it. These types of documents include:

• ATM receipts
• Bank statements
• Canceled and voided checks
• Credit and charge card bills, carbon copies, summaries and receipts
• Employee pay stubs
• Expired credit and identification cards
• Medical and dental records
• Pre-approved credit card applications
• Tax forms
• Utility bills

MEDIA NOTE: Members of the media who wish to secure a live interview prior to 9:00 a.m. on April 26th should call the press office as soon as possible.

ABOUT TORN2SHREDZ: Torn2Shredz was established by Steve Rose in February, 2005 as a Mt. Airy-based business to help protect businesses and consumers against the dramatic increase in the number of cases of identity theft. Torn2Shredz began as a mobile shredding business destroying confidential documents and media at their customers’ place of business or residence in Maryland and surrounding states. Their state-of-the-art shredding trucks provide secure, on-site document destruction. Torn2Shredz is committed to being a good business partner with the community. The company has participated in charity events for the 2007 Labor Day fire victims in downtown Mt. Airy and organized a free shred event with donations given to local charities to assist the fire victims. In September, 2007, Torn2Shredz began offering an economical residential drop-off service for small amounts of paper at their facility in Mt. Airy. For more information and details on the drop-off shredding service and directions to their facility, visit www.torn2shredz.com.

ABOUT AARP: AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP produces AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, a monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, a bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, a quarterly newsletter for 50 + educators; and its website, www.aarp.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. AARP has offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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