Each year, the Town of Thompson sponsors two shred days – one in the spring, the other in the fall. Last year’s spring Shred Day was cancelled due to COVID-19, and the Town is excited to resume this free service for residents and businesses.
The spring Shred Day is scheduled for Saturday May 15th in the parking lot of the Town of Thompson Town Hall (near Home Depot). Shred Day is a chance for individuals and businesses to securely dispose of documents containing sensitive and personal information.
Shred Day is free for Town of Thompson individuals and businesses. There is a limit for each person and business of 2 large (legal size) boxes. These boxes can contain documents that they would like destroyed through a secure shredding process. The Town asks that you please respect the 2-box limit.
This year, the timing is excellent as Tax Day is now May 17th. Tax documents contain an extreme amount of sensitive information including but not limited to social security numbers, account numbers, dates of birth for family members, details of assets and income, and sometimes even medical expenses. Check with your accountant about how long you should keep your tax and financial documents. Once that time has passed, safe shredding is the smart way to dispose of those documents!
“Shred Day is a chance to be proactive and protect you, your family, or your business from the threat of identity theft. Once your documents are securely shredded, they’re recycled so you’re also doing a great thing for the environment. We hope many residents come out the morning of May 15th for Shred Day to take advantage of this free service made possible through the work of Town Board. We want to specifically thank Board Members Scott Mace and John Pavese who generously covered half of the costs of Shred Day,” said Town of Thompson Supervisor Bill Rieber.
Without shredding and carefully disposing of documents, identity thieves may target you. They often sift through trash or recycling bins seeking out documents that have not been shredded. According to the latest U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report, there were 24,248 cases of identity theft in New York State in 2018 – and that number is on the rise. New York State ranks #13 in states with the most incidents of identity theft.