City, Data Base offer free Document Destruction Day

MARYSVILLE Now that your mind is free from thoughts of all that tax-time paperwork, its a good time to think about getting rid of unneeded personal documents you have been storing that could make you an easier victim for identity thieves to prey on.

MARYSVILLE Now that your mind is free from thoughts of all that tax-time paperwork, its a good time to think about getting rid of unneeded personal documents you have been storing that could make you an easier victim for identity thieves to prey on.
The city of Marysville wants to help residents do away with those old personal and financial documents. The city invites residents to bring documents for free disposal to Document Destruction Day. The event will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 5 at Marysville City Hall, 1049 State Ave.
Document Destruction Day is a way for us to encourage citizens to dispose of old documents that could put them at risk of identity theft if they wound up in the wrong hands, and to raise awareness that identity theft is a serious and burgeoning problem, said Doug Buell, Community Information Officer.
The free event is co-sponsored by the city and Data Base, a Kirkland-based information protection and destruction company with whom Marysville and the state of Washington contract. Data Base is donating a mobile on-site truck that obliterates documents beyond recognition and degrades the integrity of inks in the document to the point that it is impossible to reassemble them, said Chip Daly, Data Base Director.
Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the U.S. The average victim will spend 750 hours and $1,000 trying to repair the damage. Washington state currently ranks 8th in the nation in identity theft, according to the state Attorney Generals Office.
Certain restrictions apply to Marysville participants, Buell said. Document destruction is first come, first served, limited to personal documents only (no business documents), with a limit of six boxes per person. No drop-offs of boxes or documents permitted. Participants must remain with their boxes until loaded to prevent theft or rummaging.
For more information call Buell at 360-363-8086.