By Univest Bank and Trust Co.

Most homes contain paper documents with sensitive or personal information. Things like bank statements, credit card offers, and cancelled checks have information identity thieves can use to access your accounts. Community shred events are an easy way to ensure your documents are destroyed properly.

Univest is hosting a free shred event at its Collegeville Financial Center located at 380 Water Loop Drive in the Providence Town Center on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10 AM to noon. Attendees can enjoy light refreshments while safely shredding up to three boxes of their personal documents.

Unfortunately, identity theft has grown in recent years and remains a significant concern. According to a 2018 online survey by the Harris Poll, nearly 60 million Americans have been affected by identity theft. In addition to shredding your personal documents, here are some other ways you can keep your information secure and reduce your risk.

Check your credit reports. Continuously monitor your credit report from each credit bureau to ensure nothing is abnormal. You can also choose to subscribe to a credit monitoring service that will alert you when there are any changes to your credit report. In addition, always check your credit and debit card accounts for unauthorized purchases and alert your bank immediately if you notice any unauthorized charges so fraud can be halted as soon as possible.

Protect your personal information. Never disclose passwords to anyone. Also, do not provide account numbers or answers to security questions unless you are sure of who you’re dealing with and why they need the information. Avoid sharing personal information such as birth dates, home addresses, and your mother’s maiden name on social networking sites because hackers can gather this information to build databases to attempt to access your accounts.

Beware of online hackers. Do not click on links in emails that ask for your personal information. Harmful programs could be embedded in emails and the links provided may lead you to fake versions of what you understand to be legitimate websites. Also beware of pop-up windows. Identity thieves plant pop-up windows on legitimate websites in an effort to steal your identity by acquiring your personal information.

Protecting the security of our customers’ accounts is our priority at Univest Bank and Trust Co. While your debit card, credit card, or account may not be affected currently, you should always monitor your bank activity and the use of your card to help remain vigilant regarding potential fraud. If you believe you’ve been the victim of identity theft, notify your bank immediately and file a report with the Federal Trade Commission by calling 877-438-4338 or visiting www.identitytheft.gov.

Univest Bank and Trust Co. is Member FDIC