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[verbatim from the state attorney general's office]

Mississippi consumers will get a chance to protect themselves from becoming victims of identity theft courtesy of the sixth annual Shred Days hosted by the Attorney General’s Office, the Secretary of State’s Office, the Better Business Bureau of Mississippi, ShredIT, BancorpSouth and CredAbility, a non-profit consumer credit counseling group.

The event is being held in conjunction with National Consumer Protection Week and provides a chance for consumers to shred their personal documents at no charge, a service provided courtesy of the Shred-It company. There are six locations statewide that will be in operation from 7:30am-2:00pm on Friday, March 8 in Jackson and Tupelo and 7:30am-2:00pm on Saturday, March 9 in D’Iberville, Hattiesburg, Meridian and Vicksburg. Consumers may bring up to FIVE large garbage bags or boxes of documents to be shredded. NO BUSINESSES PLEASE.

Specific statewide locations are: Friday, March 8, 2013 7:30 a.m. 2 p.m. Jackson, Home Depot, 6325 I-55 South, Tupelo, Walmart, 3929 N. Gloster Street,

Saturday, March 9, 2013 7:30 a.m. 2 p.m. D’Iberville, Walmart, 3615 Sangani Blvd. Hattiesburg, BancorpSouth, 3101 Hardy St. Meridian, Walmart, 1733 2nd Street South Vicksburg, Home Depot, 50 Halls Ferry Park Rd.

“Since we began this partnership, we have helped over 4,400 Mississippi consumers shred over 240,000 pounds of paper containing personal information,” said Attorney General Jim Hood. “We have no doubt that this partnership has potentially saved many Mississippians from becoming victims of identity theft.”

“Unfortunately, identity theft is a growing problem in our State,” says Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. “Shredding sensitive documents is an important step in protecting your information and identity. I encourage all Mississippians to guard their private information by taking advantage of this free service.”

Properly destroying documents that carry information you don’t want getting into the hands of crooks is an important first step to fighting identity theft, but it doesn’t end there,” said John O’Hara, CEO for the Better Business Bureau of Mississippi. “That’s why BBB experts will also be on hand offering important advice and simple steps everyone can take to prevent ID theft in their daily lives, both online and off.”

“Many people don’t know about the simple things, like taking out the garbage, which can expose them to thieves”, said Evelyn Edwards, Vice-President of Community Reinvestment for BancorpSouth. “This crime is one of the most catastrophic because people can be continually victimized long after their personal information is taken. Knowledge, through events like this one, is the best protection.”

“We are all vulnerable to identity theft,“said Sherry Rainey, regional president of CredAbility of Jackson. “Consumers should become more informed of the hidden dangers that exist, even when conducting the most routine financial tasks. Victims can spend months, even years, trying to repair the damage done by an identity thief. Swift action should be taken if a consumer thinks his information has been compromised.”

The event is FREE to the general public, courtesy a host of additional private sponsors: Shred-it, Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, Leadership Council on Aging, Mississippi State University Extension Service and other Mississippi Consumer Education Partnership members.