2007-04-23 14:43:18 -
DEL RAY BEACH, FL and OAKVILLE, ON, April 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Shred-it, Office Depot and Crime Stoppers USA are helping consumers fight identity theft by organizing the 2007 USA National Community Shred campaign. Community Shred events will be held at 100 Office Depot stores across the country on April 28, 2007 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time.
Identity theft is the fastest growing form of consumer fraud in North America. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), identity theft affects as many as 10 million Americans each year.
The FTC estimates that the average individual victim of identity theft spends 200 to 600 hours and approximately $1,500 to restore their identity.
Shred-it, the world's leading on site document destruction company and Crime Stoppers USA will bring their expertise to Office Depot stores to help people take action against identity theft and fraud. Shred-it mobile shredding trucks will be on site and consumers are invited to bring all the documents they can carry for shredding. Representatives from Crime Stoppers will offer tips and advice on how to protect yourself against identity theft and to collect voluntary donations that will benefit the local Crime Stoppers programs in each community.
"The best safeguard against personal identity theft is to regularly destroy confidential personal and business documents," says Greg Brophy, President and CEO of Shred-it. "We help our clients protect themselves and their customers every day by destroying documents that are no longer needed. Organizing Community Shred events across America raises awareness about the dangers of identity theft and fraud and encourages consumers and businesses to take the necessary steps to protect themselves from these crimes."
"Office Depot offers a wide variety of solutions - from shredders and fingerprint scanners to anti-fraud software and laptop locks - that will help customers insulate their own business and themselves from the consequences of identity theft," said Brad Bacon, Executive Vice President of North American Retail for Office Depot. "We look forward to hosting these Shred-it events and demonstrating the importance of taking the right preventative measures to protect your business, your employees and your customers."
"Crime Stoppers USA is very excited to work together again this year with Shred-it, and for the first time with Office Depot, to promote community safety," added Elaine Cloyd, National President of Crime Stoppers.
To find out where a Community Shred is taking place in your neighborhood, visit http://www.shredit.com/ or http://www.officedepot.com/. For more information about Crime Stoppers, visit http://www.crimestopusa.com/.
About Shred-it
Shred-it, a Securit(R) Company, is the world's leading on site document destruction company with over 140 branches operating in 16 countries. Shred-it trucks are equipped with custom-built shredders that can efficiently destroy everything from confidential paper documents to CDs. Founded in 1988, Shred-it currently services over 150,000 global, national and local businesses and organizations worldwide. Visit http://www.shredit.com/ for more information.
About Office Depot
Office Depot provides more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company. Incorporated in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Fla., Office Depot has annual sales of over $15 billion, and employs approximately 52,000 associates around the world. Currently, the Company sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 42 countries.
Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel - from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. As of December 30, 2006, Office Depot had 1,158 retail stores in North America and another 348 stores, either company-owned, licensed or franchised, in other parts of the world. Office Depot serves a wide range of customers through a dedicated sales force, telephone account managers, direct mail offerings, and multiple web sites. With $4.3 billion in online sales during the last twelve months, the Company is also one of the world's largest e-commerce retailers.
Office Depot's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com/.
About Crime Stoppers
Local community Crime Stoppers programs stretch across the nation and participate in a global network of programs worldwide that take anonymous tips to solve crimes. With its founding roots in Albuquerque, New Mexico, thirty years ago, Crime Stoppers' tips within the US alone have led to the arrest of approximately 400,000 criminals, the clearing of over 700,000 cases, including terrorist activity, and the recovery of narcotics and property valued in excess of $4 billion dollars. If you have information on a crime, please consult your local directory and contact your community Crime Stoppers program. All calls are anonymous, and programs do not use caller ID.
Source: Shred-it
