The Waianae Chapter of AARP Hawaii and Shred-it are teaming up to address fraud prevention and hunger concerns with a free shredding event in the parking lot of Home Depot in Kapolei on Saturday, Nov. 10 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The public is invited to bring up to three file boxes or bags of personal documents per vehicle.  Participants are encouraged to donate one can of food for the Hawaii Food Bank.

This is a drive-through and drop-off event.  A mobile shredder will destroy all documents on site.

Prevention is the best way to avoid identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes:

• Shred financial documents and papers with personal information before discarding.
  
• Protect your Social Security number. Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write your Social Security number on a check.
  
• Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you know who you’re dealing with.
  

Fraud Fact:  Identity theft was the top consumer complaint in the nation in 2011, accounting for 15 percent of fraud reports filed with state and federal law enforcement. Hawaii ranked 21st in the country last year with 5,695 fraud reports filed.

Hunger Fact:  Nearly nine million Americans age 50 and older face the risk of hunger, including 6.68 percent of Hawaii residents.

AARP is a membership organization for people age 50 and older with nearly 150,000 members in Hawaii.