Attorney General’s office hosts shred-a-thon, offers advice to protect identity

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Arizona Attorney General’s office, City of Yuma, and Church for the City hosted a free no-contact shred-a-thon Saturday morning.

Around 204 cars came out dropping off over 13,300 pounds of documents.

Desert Document Shredders taking care of all the shredding at the Yuma Civic Center.

It’s important to shred paperwork that has your address, account information, personal information such as your social security numbers, date of birth, and your name.

Shredding your personal or sensitive documents is an important step to ensure your identity is not stolen and your financial and personal information is not compromised.

The attorney general’s office offers more tips to prevent theft.

Michael Pineiro is the director of community engagement for the attorney general’s office.

“By not posting pictures on social media when you're on vacation, post them afterward if you want to post it as well as not letting everyone know when you're away from the house fraudsters scammers. They're out there to get you one way or the other way there whether it's your documents your credit card information or again by robbing your home.”

The AG's office also recommends holding your tax documents for three years from when you've paid your taxes and five to seven years if you have a loss.

The IRS can still look into your taxes and run an audit during that length of time.