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| Piqua
Ohio Police Department |
| Identity
Theft Shredding Program |
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Police
Department Personnel Assist a Citizen With the
Paper Shredding Machine |
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Identity theft occurs when a
criminal obtains and uses a consumer's personal information
such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers, insurance
information, and Social Security numbers to purchase goods or
services fraudulently. Identity thieves commonly get this
information from the victims themselves by going through their
trash or from computer data.
According to FBI statistics, identity theft is currently the
nations fastest growing crime. Over 8 million U.S. residents
were victims of identity theft in 2006, approximately 4% of
the adult population. In a highly publicized story in June of
this year, a computer disc containing personal information was
stolen from a state employees vehicle, putting approximately
66,000 Ohioans at increased risk of becoming identity theft
victims.
The Piqua Police Department has a program to help residents
protect themselves from identity theft. The "Identity
Theft Shredding Program" (ITSP) gives residents the
opportunity to bring in financial papers and other sensitive
documents and use the police department's paper shredding
machine to destroy these documents. Anyone bringing documents
in to be shredded are asked to limit the amount of items to a
small trash bag or 10"x17"x12" box.
Additionally, anyone planning on throwing away or selling an
old computer will be able to make arrangements to have one of
the Piqua Police Department's forensic computer experts format
the hard drive, erasing any personal information so it cannot
be retrieved by criminals. The computer experts will not view
the information on the computers in order to ensure
confidentiality.
These services will be provided free of charge by appointment
only. To set an appointment or for additional information,
contact the Piqua Police Department Records Section at
937-778-2027 during regular business hours. |
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One
of the Piqua Police Department Forensic Computer Experts
Working in Police Computer Lab |
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| For more information, contact: |
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City of Piqua Police Department
100 N Wayne Street
Piqua OH 45356
937-778-2027
e-mail
Police
Services |
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