Over the course of the 2014 events in conjunction with the Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union (HVFCU), Walden Federal Savings (Now Hometown Bank of the Hudson Valley), Wallkill Valley Federal Savings, Hudson Heritage Federal Credit Union, and Mid Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union we are thrilled to have helped community members recycle over 50 tons of paper, saving over 800 trees and 150 cubic yards of landfill.

If it’s posted on this page, the event is free (a donation may be suggested) and open to the public with a suggested limit of 3 file boxes/garbage bags and the like per person. The intention is to be a resource for the residential community. We appreciate your being mindful of keeping the line moving and being appropriate with the volume of shredding you bring to an event.

Announcing the schedule for 2015 (likely more to be added):

Friday, April 10, HVFCU Pleasant Valley Branch 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Saturday, April 11, HVFCU Montgomery Branch 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Friday, April 17, HVFCU Carmel Branch 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Friday, April 24th, Poughkeepsie Library District Adriance Branch 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Friday, April 24th, HVFCU Beacon Branch 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Friday, May 1st, HVFCU Highland Branch 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Saturday, May 2nd, Jawonio Fundraiser Hosted by Lynch’s Restaurant 79 S Liberty Dr, Stony Point, NY 10980 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Donation to Jawonio required

Friday, May 8th, HVFCU Hyde Park Branch 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Friday, May 15th, HVFCU Rhinebeck Branch 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Saturday, May 16th, HVFCU New Windsor Branch 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Friday, June 5th, HVFCU Hollowbrook Branch 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Monday, June 8th, HVFCU Arlington Branch (Tucker Drive) 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Friday, June 12th, HVFCU Newburgh Branch10:00 am- 1:00 pm

Stay tuned for more!

Your financial institutions and towns are the most likely to sponsor the shred events, so please suggest they contact us for more information about scheduling an event. Contact Judith @ judith@hvshred.com (845) 705-7279

Frequenters of the HV Shred blog know that we often use this space to share valuable information we find on OnGuardOnline, the FTC blog designed to share information for consumer protection. A recent post by Consumer Education Specialist Amy Hebert caught our attention as worthy of sharing.

Hebert writes about a new scam email that says it’s a court notice from the Bureau of Defaulters Agency-FTC with your arrest warrant record attached. It says you’ve ignored their efforts to contact you, so now your Social Security number is on hold by the federal government, you’ll be prosecuted for fraud, and you’ll owe all kinds of money when you’re found guilty. You’ve got just 24 hours to respond.

It’s not true.

There is no Bureau of Defaulters, and the FTC doesn’t send emails like this to people.

If you get an email like this, forward it to spam@uce.gov, then delete it. Don’t click on any attachments or links. Scammers send convincing-looking fake emails with links or attachments they want you to click. When you do, you could download malware onto your computer. If you’re not sure whether an email is real, you can always look up a phone number yourself and contact the court, company, or agency the email claims to be from.

What if you already clicked on the attachment? Follow these steps to get rid of malware. You also can file a complaint with the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint, then visit the FTC’s Identity Theft website. Victims of phishing emails like this could become victims of identity theft, and there are steps you can take to minimize your risk.

The FTC has scam alerts you can sign up for to find out about the latest scams. Go to consumer.ftc.gov and click on Scam Alerts, which include a category for imposter scams like these.

For more on best practices in Identity Theft Protection, please visit www.hvshred.com

With all the snow lately, there has been some extra quiet time for offices to go through old files and do some new year cleaning out.

Here is some basic guidance:

Whether it is a client’s financial information or your own, you need to shred all documents. This includes paperwork that has credit card information or bank and routing numbers. It can be voided checks or bank statements. Any pages that have sensitive financial information need to be shredded.

Any paperwork that has employee, client, or your personal social security numbers should be shredded. This can also include customer ID numbers that are used to get into accounts.

If your forms require someone to write down pin numbers or login information for their accounts, these documents need to be destroyed. Should they fall in the wrong hands, it can put someone at severe risk of information breach.

When you are ready to clear out old clients or personnel, be sure you get rid of any documents that have contact information. This is to include email addresses, physical addresses, and phone numbers that will tie the individual to the contact information.

If you are getting rid of receipts, be sure to send them through the shredder. This can include original receipts as well as copies of receipts. It is best to keep yourself safe from people who can find this information and use it against you.

Still unclear what needs to be shredded? Go ahead and shred everything. This might not be the best idea if you are paying for the services, since it will cost you more. However, paper shredding should be taken seriously. If you are in doubt about what has to be shredded, go ahead and put it in the stack. It is better safe than sorry when it comes to HIPPA compliance.

It is a good idea to keep a running list of all documents that need to be destroyed. This will help you avoid throwing away information that should have gone through the shredder.

If you have any questions about this article, or need assistance with your shredding program, contact us today!

The more sensitive the information, the more important it is to have it destroyed securely.

Let us help keep you compliant and lessen the burden when handling sensitive information. Contact HV Shred, Inc today www.hvshred.com

A couple of weeks ago, we covered the fact that Identity Theft is still the top scam as determined by the IRS.  The other prevalent scams warrant attention as well.

Though there are lots of warnings about pervasive telephone scams, many are still falling prey.  These involved the use of false and misleading information that is conveyed to the taxpayer via the telephone.  Some of the calls are made by parties alleging to be from a given organization or government agency, especially the IRS.  Since the fear of the IRS is a top fear, listeners are prone to take heed.

Scams may include the allegation that the victim owes money and may even threaten arrest or driver’s license revocation.  Calls are sometimes followed up by fake calls from the local police department or state of motor vehicle.

Scammers may create a fake name and IRS bagde number; use the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security Number; spoof the IRS’s toll free number on Caller ID; send bogus emails; or use background noise to mimic a call center.  These with the intent to make their contact seem legitimate and actual.

The advice from the IRS is to do the following:

If you know you owe taxes or think you may, call the IRS directly 1 (800) 829-1040.  The IRS employees at that line can help you resolve any such issue.

If you know you don’t owe taxes and have no reason to think you owe, then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1 (800) 366-4484.

For more identity theft and general best practices please visit www.hvshred.com

We have already addressed this issue recently but it can’t be emphasized enough. As the latest post on the FTC’s OnGuardOnLine blog states, tax season is increasingly a time of year when individuals are at risk for tax identity theft or IRS imposters. Tax identity theft happens when someone uses your Social Security number to get a tax refund or a job. You usually find out something’s wrong after you file your tax return.

Also, IRS imposters work year-round — posing as the IRS when they call and say you owe taxes. They even threaten to arrest you if you don’t put money on a prepaid debit card and tell them the card number. They might know all or part of your Social Security number, and can fake caller ID information to make it look like it really is the IRS calling. But it’s not. Ever.

Want to know what you can do about these scams? January 26^th-30^th is Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week. That week, the FTC, AARP, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) will be hosting a webinar. Join us to get the facts about these scams and learn how to protect yourself and those you care about:

Webinar on Tax Identity Theft and IRS Imposter Scams
Hosted by the FTC, AARP, and TIGTA
Open to everyone
Tuesday, Jan. 27^th 2:00-3:30pm EST

Find login information, as well as articles and other resources, at ftc.gov/taxidtheft.

For more information on best practices to stay safe from identity theft, please visit www.hvshred.com

It is our privilege to be a resource for the upcoming “De-Clutter” Program this upcoming Saturday.  The free event will help members of the Hudson Valley Community follow through on their New Year’s resolutions to get better organized in 2015. Offered to Dutchess County residents, this program is designed to help you get into the ORGANIZING mindset and prepare for improved CHANGE for your home, business and life!

Presenter is Sheila Delson, CPO-CD, founder of FREEDomain Concepts, LLC a 20-yr. award winning industry Professional Organizer, and co-sponsor, Maureen Lashlee, Director of Habitat for Humanity Dutchess County, bring combined objectives to educate, motivate and inspire Dutchess County residents to create more “spaces for your places!” Becoming better organized promotes efficiency and improves time management, saves money, less stress and overall improves one’s quality of life!  Habitat for Humanity is improving the quality of life for others right here in Dutchess County!  Please join us!

EVENT DATE & TIME: Saturday, January 17, 2015 – 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM  (snow date: 1/24/15)

REGISTRATION required: RSVP here – OR – call/email: Sheila Delson: 845-463-4140; sheila@freedomainconcepts.com SPACE IS LIMITED to 100 attendees only.

REGISTRATION  DEADLINE: January 15, 2015

DATE: 1/17/2015 (Sat 10:00AM – 12:00PM)

LOCATION: Senior Center, 14 Abe’s Way Drive, Poughkeepsie, NY

Safely de-cluttering often involves securely disposing of obsolete paperwork.  Remember anything thrown in the garbage is considered part of the public domain.  Even though using information to impersonate someone isn’t–the best course of action is to shred sensitive information.

For more information on best practices in identity theft protection, please visit www.hvshred.com