How to keep your identity safe by shredding old documents
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Saturday is the big day for all of your document shredding at 6 News. Starting at 8:00 a.m., you can come by the station and we will properly dispose of any old document.
Shredding documents with personal information like social security numbers or bank account information is an important task to make sure you keep your identity safe.
What to know ahead of WATE's Free Shred Day
'The purpose of shred day is to take a proactive step at keeping your personal identifying information out of the hands of criminals,' said Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Clint McKissack.
Shred Pro will once again have its trucks set up in the back parking lot of 6 News on Saturday morning.
'We ask you to limit your material to three boxes per car. No more than three boxes per car, that's because we want everybody to have a chance to shred their material,' Jonas Rice with ShredPro Secure said. 'You stay in your car, we'll have a lot of help down here. People will get the material, we'll dump it in big, what we call, totes and give you your boxes back.'
As for what kinds of documents you should consider shredding? Tax documents and bank statements are just a few that have your personal information.
'Personal identifying information is any name or number when it's used alone or in conjunction with other information can identify a specific individual' McKissack said. 'Anything with your social security number on it.'
McKissack told 6 News it is a great opportunity for making sure your personal information doesn't fall into the wrong hands.
'It grows every year. I think we saw a tremendous amount last year and we are hoping for even more,' he said 'More importantly, to just get the word out that properly disposing of those documents can keep them out of the criminals hands and it's one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States.'
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Shred Day will run from 8:00 a.m. to noon at our studios located at 1306 N. Broadway. You are asked to bring no more than three boxes of documents and to stay in your car when you get here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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