Tulsans Take Steps To Secure Identity At Free Shredding Event

Every year, 15 million people have their identities stolen.

But thanks to free shredding at the Secure Your ID Day in Tulsa, several hundred people may be in the clear.

At one point, it was enough to simply shred anything with your social security number on it.

Now with so much information accessible on the Internet, you need to take further steps to secure your identification.

Nearly anything can put you at risk.

The grind is constant, as box after box of discarded papers rolled through the shredders on Saturday.

As more cars drove through, the stacks piled up.

But that's OK, because today was about safely getting rid of anything that could help a crook steal your identity.

"It's amazing what you have to manage to come up with to prove your claim on your own identity,” Dawna Matthews said.

Matthews says someone stole her granddaughter's identity.

And it's been an uphill battling trying to clear up the confusion.

"My granddaughters identity - when I went to claim her on my income tax I was informed that she had already been claimed and we don't know who by,” Matthews said.

She still isn't sure who stole the information, but Amie Mitchell with the Tulsa Better Business Bureau says there are plenty of ways it could have happened since so much is connected to the Internet.

She says anything with a barcode should be thrown out along with items like event passes.

"It goes on and on about things you would normally throw in the trash medical bracelets or rewards cards or anything that comes in the mail, needs to be shredded,” Mitchell said.

Matthews says her bout with identity theft is causing problems all around.

Her taxes have been delayed so much, her son has to put off college for a little longer.

"It's too scary that someone can steal your identity and you're left trying to pick up pieces and you don't know how,” she said.

In all, 638 cars participated in the Secure your ID Day.

The next shredding event  is in October.