Last year, 12.7 million Americans became victims of identity theft, the Federal Trade Commission’s number one complaint among consumers and businesses. Once again, Georgia ranked second in the nation for the number of reported identity theft cases making it imperative Georgia residents and businesses shred confidential documents.

For the eighth year in a row, HeritageBank of the South will host a free community shred day. The 2015 Community Shred-A-Thon is FREE to the public and will be held Saturday, April 25^th from 9 a.m. -12 p.m. in the parking lot of HeritageBank of the South’s main branch at 721 North Westover Boulevard in Albany.  It is free and open to the public. A list of shredable documents is available on the Bank’s website, www.eheritagebank.com.

According to HeritageBank of the South’s Marketing Manager, Heather Nichols, “Our goal is to not only educate our community on the dangers of identity theft, but also provide a place residents can dispose of their confidential documents safely. The community has embraced the annual Shred-A-Thon and we’ve shred more than 40 tons of personal and confidential documents since our first event.”

This will be the eighth year for the Albany community; last year, three shred trucks were filled at the Albany site. Due to the overwhelming response, participants will be asked to limit items to two boxes per individual. This year, the Bank will also offer shred events in North Alabama, East Georgia, Central Florida, and South Georgia.