Arlington, Va. – The recent 2010 Protect Your Identity Week (PYIW) campaign hosted by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) and the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) will be one for the history books, breaking records while protecting tens of thousands of consumers against the crime of identity theft.
Consider that during the one-week campaign
- 190 events were held in 40 states serving more than 24,000 consumers in-person
- 882 tons of material was shredded at events
- More than 28,000 consumers visited the www.ProtectYourIDNow.org English website and the www.cuidesuidentidad.org Spanish website
- Over 6,000 consumers took the Identity Theft Risk CheckSM in either English or Spanish
Additionally, the event broke an existing Guinness World Record™. Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Orange County, GreenPath Debt Solutions and BBB of Detroit & Eastern Michigan, and Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Delaware Valley were designated to compete in the Guinness category of Most Paper Collected in a 24-Hour Period. The existing record of 2,204 pounds was toppled by those three locations which collectively shredded a total of 31,979 pounds.
Cintas Corporation, national shredding partner for PYIW, provided free document destruction for events across the country, including the three that participated in breaking the world record.
“Protect Your Identity Week has grown to become a nationwide mobilization of government agencies, non-profits, business, and consumers coming together to fight identity theft and BBB is proud to work with the NFCC to make it happen,” said Stephen A. Cox, President and CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. “Even though the week is over, BBB is still here throughout the rest of the year to help educate small business owners and consumers on how to protect their identity.”
“The incredible amount of interest in this nationwide event confirms that consumers are concerned about protecting their identity, and are willing to take the necessary steps to arm themselves against this crime,” said Bob Ensinger, COO of the NFCC. “Further, our Coalition Members and sponsors believe that education around identity theft is the best protection, and provided guidance, leadership and promotion of the event, helping to make it a success.”
Intersections, Inc, a leader in consumer and corporate identity theft management services that also provides the award-winning Identity Guard ® brand, served as a presenting sponsor of Protect Your Identity Week 2010.
Wireless Alliance, national electronic device recycling partner, provided free cell phone disposal at many community events, resulting in hundreds of phones being responsibly disposed of and recycled.
MSN Money once again served as the national media sponsor for PYIW, with well-recognized personal finance writer, Liz Pulliam Weston, dedicating an article to identity theft protection. Additionally, nationally-known identity theft expert and blogger, Robert Siciliano, supported PYIW through numerous blogs on the PYIW websites.
The impressive list of organizations joining the NFCC and BBB as Supporting PYIW Coalition Members includes: American Bankers Association Education Foundation, American Financial Services Association Education Foundation, American Payroll Association, Consumer Action, Consumer Data Industry Association, Consumer Federation of America, Credit Union National Association, Federal Reserve Board, Federal Trade Commission, FICO, Foundation for Financial Planning, Identity Theft Assistance Center, Identity Theft Resource Center, Jump$tart Coalition for Financial Literacy, Junior Achievement USA, National Association of Triads, National Council of La Raza, National Crime Prevention Council, National Education Association Member Benefits, National Sheriffs’ Association, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Social Security Administration.
The websites, www.ProtectYourIDNow.org and www.cuidesuidentidad.org, will remain live to serve as a resource to consumers. The Web sites include identity theft prevention tips, videos, an interactive quiz to assess your risk of identity theft, and resources for victims.
The NFCC and the CBBB encourage consumers to remain committed to protecting themselves against identity theft, particularly as the holidays approach. Putting prevention tips in place is a much better option than spending time and money recovering from ID theft.
For more information about PYIW 2010, or to schedule an interview, contact Gail Cunningham with the NFCC at 940-691-6322 or Alison Southwick with the BBB at 703-247-9376.
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About the Better Business Bureau
As the leader in advancing marketplace trust, Better Business Bureau is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Every year, more than 65 million consumers rely on BBB Reliability Reports® and BBB Wise Giving Reports® to help them find trustworthy businesses and charities across North America. Visit www.bbb.org/us for more information.
About National Foundation for Credit Counseling
The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), founded in 1951, is the nation’s largest and longest serving national nonprofit credit counseling organization. The NFCC’s mission is to promote the national agenda for financially responsible behavior and build capacity for its Members to deliver the highest quality financial education and counseling services. NFCC Members annually help four million consumers through more than 800 community-based offices nationwide. For free and affordable confidential advice through a reputable NFCC Member, call (800) 388-2227, (en Español (800) 682-9832) or visit www.nfcc.org.